ATLANTA — The Georgia Medical Board is now investigating after 11Alive exposed questionable practices by HydraPlus IV hydration therapy company.
In an interview you were able to see only on 11Alive, former employee Brad Jones showed us evidence of the company using expired vitamins and a weight-loss medication that the Food and Drug Administration says is not safe or effective.
"HydraPlus is not taking this serious but everybody else is clearly, so it's pretty refreshing to see somebody stepping up," Jones told 11Alive about the Georgia Medical Board investigating their practices.
The FDA opened an investigation last week on the company, which has three locations in the Atlanta area.
That was when Jones told us his then-general manager would ask staff to use expired medication without customers' knowledge, as well as semaglutide sodium, which medical experts explain is meant for research-use only.
Semaglutide is the active ingredient in weight loss medications like Wegovy, which can only be prescribed by a licensed healthcare provider.
However, Jones said they were continuously using “semaglutide sodium," which is known as the compounded, cheaper version of semaglutide. Pharmacists have explained this one is intended for research only.
11Alive medical expert Dr. Sujatha Reddy explained why this can be harmful.
"The FDA actually issued warnings to all people and healthcare providers as well, saying be cautious of this because it hasn’t been tested. We can’t say it’s safe and effective," she said.
In a statement, the Georgia Medical Board told 11Alive:
"We are aware of the situation with HydraPlus and are looking into the matter. All complaints filed with the Georgia Composite Medical Board are considered part of an investigative file and are confidential by statute, so we cannot comment on any open or closed complaints/investigations (to the extent that there are any). Please understand our limitations and inability under the current statutes to provide more detailed information."
Jones said
his former coworkers can confirm this, too
"I got a text message yesterday from one of my good friends still employed there and he said the medical board showed up and they're asking for everybody's licenses," he said.
Jones said former clients are also reaching out to him.
"A client actually told me that they're offering a free IV bag for a five star review," he added. "(The client) told them that that was illegal to do. [The client] came in the very next day and got a different person and they did the same exact thing. Out of curiosity, I went on Google reviews and sure enough, the reviews were just growing and growing and growing. It seems like they're trying to do damage control."
Jones, who has been in the medical profession for 19 years, reported this to the FDA and 11Alive after gathering evidence and getting fired.
We spoke to the FDA, which confirms this is still an active investigation.
Last week, HydraPlus denied the allegations made by Jones, but he stands by every claim he made.
"It's not that I want the whole store or the whole company to close down but she needs to stop, and she knows she needs to stop, even though I'm not there, this has nothing to do with me," he said. "I'm going about 19 years in the medical profession and I haven't seen anything like this and I know this kind of stuff happens every single day. But if it could just stop in one place."
11Alive reached back out to HydraPlus for a new statement but as of the time of publishing this article, we have not heard back.
To read our full investigation from Aug. 9, click here.