In early February, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it had placed 19 employees at its federal laboratory campus in Ames, Iowa, on administrative leave as part of an investigation into whether veterinary credentials were used to buy discount human medications for personal use.
The drugs the employees are said to have ordered were medications that could be used by humans, such as antibiotics, antihypertensives, pain relievers, and vitamins.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack called the allegations “a very serious situation” requiring immediate and decisive action. There is no evidence that the alleged activities interfered with any test results or other official laboratory activities, Vilsack said.
Three USDA laboratories are located on the Ames federal campus. The National Veterinary Services Laboratories and Center for Veterinary Biologics are part of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; the National Animal Disease Center is part of the Agricultural Research Service.
Of the 19 employees, 17 worked with APHIS and two with the ARS. Additional staff may be implicated in the ongoing investigation, according to the USDA.
Although the drugs were being filled offsite, the USDA wouldn’t comment on where that was occurring or whether multiple pharmacies were involved.
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