Kentucky Veterinarian Accepts Four Months' Ineligibility, Fine After Unapproved Substance Found In Truck
Kentucky veterinarian Dr. Benjamin Bealmear has accepted a four-month period of ineligibility and a $4,165 fine after the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit found an unapproved substance on his veterinary truck. According to a case resolution document released by the organization on April 24, officials with HIWU and the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation searched Bealmear's truck at The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, Ky., in early October 2024. During the search, Bealmear identified two bottles for investigators which were labeled as "B Blend - Pelphrey." The bottles had been compounded by Boothwyn Pharmacy in Kennett Square, Penn. In 2017, Boothwyn received a warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration alleging it was producing drugs in violation of federal law, including failure to follow certain procedures to prevent contamination or assure sterility. The warning said Boothwyn was producing unapproved new drugs, and compounding drugs 'intended for conditions not amenable to self-diagnosis and treatment by individuals who are not medical practitioners.'
The active ingredient in the bottles labeled B Blend is adenosine triphosphonate, commonly known as ATP, according to the HIWU documents. ATP is a naturally occurring substance in the body which fuels muscle cells. A synthetic version is commonly given by trainers hoping to improve muscle recovery, though it may also behave as a vasodilator. The substance is rated as an S0 banned substance by HIWU, meaning it is not addressed in the organization's rules, has no government approval for human or veterinary use, and is not universally recognized by veterinary regulators for valid use. All substances that meet these criteria are considered banned under the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program.
Bealmear told investigators the bottles were made by Boothwyn in June 2022 and expired in September 2022, and that he had used the substance on certain racehorses who were former patients of Dr. Rick Pelphrey until 2021. Bealmear said he had not used the substance on racehorses since September 2022, an assertion that was substantiated by records he provided. He also said he had cleaned out his truck prior to the implementation of HIWU but did not realize the product would be against the authority's rules.Bealmear signed an admissions and acceptance of consequences in the case. The decision from HIWU noted that he had cooperated with the investigation, has had no disciplinary history since being licensed in 1992, and readily admitted to possessing the substance. Find the full case resolution document here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
VA secretary calls out California officials after LA anti-ICE riots shutter clinic serving veterans
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins called out California officials for ignoring the impact the Los Angeles anti-ICE riots have had on displaced veterans after an ambulatory clinic was forced to suddenly shutter its doors earlier this month. "They're not peaceful. We see what they're doing. They're throwing stuff at us. They're taking it out on the police," he said of the protesters on "Fox & Friends," Wednesday. "What Gavin Newsom and… the mayor, don't want to talk about is the impact on the people who are just trying to live their lives… we have a large homeless population of veterans [in Los Angeles]… which we're working on fixing… but we've got a lot who just need that basic care." Exclusive: Va Dept Says La Riots Forced Community Center Closures Impacting More Than 600 Veterans Collins said the local benefits office is also closed, meaning veterans are struggling to receive the help they need in multiple ways. He also said workers have been displaced as a result of the chaos. Read On The Fox News App "Nobody talks about that… the governor out there and the mayor – why don't they actually talk about the real issue, and that's that we can't get services to the people that need it?" The now-closed Los Angeles VA clinic provided cancer care, suicide prevention, pain management, amputation care and traumatic brain injury services. Maxine Waters Taunts Armed Agents After Feds Slam Door On Her During La Riots: 'You Better Shoot Straight' Collins said the VA has transferred as many patients as possible to telehealth services to continue their care, but says there's little substitute for traditional treatment. "I'm tired of this idea that we're trying to help our veterans, help Americans, but yet we're letting the folks in L.A. run wild and graffiti our buildings and do the things that stop us from actually taking care of our veterans," he said. Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass for a prior report on this issue. Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz contributed to this article source: VA secretary calls out California officials after LA anti-ICE riots shutter clinic serving veterans
USA Today
3 days ago
- USA Today
'Cruelty over care': Transgender care advocates blast Supreme Court
'Cruelty over care': Transgender care advocates blast Supreme Court Show Caption Hide Caption Supreme Court will hear case about bans on gender-affirming care for minors A case involving a law in Tennessee that restricts puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors will be heard by the Supreme Court. Scripps News Organizations and advocates for transgender youth blasted the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on June 18 that upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Advocates said the high court's decision was a major blow to transgender rights and medical organizations that have endorsed gender-affirming care for minors. The decision came about five years after the court ruled that transgender, gay and lesbian people are protected by a landmark civil rights law barring sex discrimination in the workplace. In the Tennessee case, the high court said that preventing minors from using puberty blockers and hormone therapy does not violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. The Tennessee House Republican Caucus cheered the ruling as a "proud day for the Volunteer state and for all those who believe in protecting the innocence and well-being of America's children." The Tennessee Equality Project, an advocacy group that fights anti-LGBTQ legislation, said in a statement that the organization was "profoundly disappointed" by the high court's decision. The decision further erodes the rights of transgender children, their families and doctors, the group said. "Gender-affirming care is proven to save lives," the group's statement said. "Major medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association, support gender-affirming medical and psychological care because it saves lives and improves mental well-being." Kimberly Inez McGuire, executive director of Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, said the Supreme Court chose "cruelty over care." "This decision upholds a dangerous and deeply unjust law that strips families of their rights, criminalizes love and support and puts the lives of young people at risk," McGuire said in a statement. The decision means transgender adolescents who live in states that restrict gender-affirming care could have difficulty accessing such care, said Lindsey Dawson, associate director for HIV policy and director for LGBTQ health policy at KFF, a health policy nonprofit. Dawson said 25 states have gender-affirming care bans in effect, though only Arizona and New Hampshire ban gender-reassignment surgery. Some transgender youth who live in states restricting care such as puberty blockers or hormone therapy might choose visit states without such bans. However, that option wouldn't be an option for transgender youth and their families who lack the financial means to travel for care. "If you are minor who needs access to this medically necessary care, you simply can't get it if you live in one of these states," Dawson said. More details: Supreme Court to weigh key transgender care case: What's at stake for minors Trump administration targets transgender care The decision comes as President Donald Trump's administration has targeted other aspects of transgender care. After taking office, Trump signed an executive order stating the U.S. would not "fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support" gender-affirming care. In April, the federal agency that oversees Medicare and Medicaid told states not to use Medicaid funding to pay for gender-affirming care for minors. Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said the federal agency will stop paying for gender reassignment operations or hormone treatments for those under 18. A 2023 study in the medical journal JAMA Network Open found gender-affirming surgeries were most popular with young adults. More than 25,000 people ages 19 to 30 received these procedures from 2016 through 2019. Fewer than 8% of patients − a total of 3,678 − were 12- to 18-year-olds. Contributing: Maureen Groppe,
New York Times
3 days ago
- New York Times
I Will Never Trust R.F.K. Jr. But I Want to Trust Public Health.
When Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on June 9, I was devastated but not surprised. He is a longtime vaccine critic, and it was clear to me that he was gunning for the panel, which gives recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines. Though there has been public mistrust of new vaccines, this is not a group that has historically been politicized. In fact, this is the first time that a health and human services secretary has dismissed the full panel. The voting members of the advisory committee are highly vetted experts who typically meet three times a year, and they consider the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, as well as the feasibility of their recommendations. There's a legitimate fear that if the committee stops recommending certain vaccines, they won't be covered by insurance, and Americans will have to pay out of pocket to get them. On June 10, Kennedy posted on X that he was going to handpick the new panel and that 'none of these individuals will be ideological anti-vaxxers.' He then appointed eight members to the committee, one of whom posted this month, 'The term 'anti-vaxer' it is not a slur, but a compliment. Embrace it. Own it. and be proud to be a part of this fight.' Oy. As I was processing this information with new horror, I had a possibly perverse response: the urge to listen to a four-hour-and-27-minute 'Huberman Lab' podcast interview with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health, because the episode was called 'Improving Science & Restoring Trust in Public Health' and was recorded before the advisory committee overhaul. Bhattacharya, who was a professor of health policy at Stanford University and has an M.D. and a Ph.D., was one of the creators of the Great Barrington Declaration in October 2020, which argued that 'current lockdown policies are producing devastating effects on short- and long-term public health.' His skepticism of mainstream public health during the Biden administration undoubtedly helped Bhattacharya get his current job. From what I know of Andrew Huberman, he can communicate some scientific concepts quite well, but I am suspicious about his supplement recommendations, his coziness with advertisers and his softball interviews with people like Casey Means. Still, neither Huberman nor Bhattacharya is a vaccine ideologue like Kennedy, and they both have expertise. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
