Pharma giant CVS to stop prescribing for telehealth company Cerebral

In another setback for the burgeoning but controversial mental health telemedicine company Cerebral, it will no longer have its prescriptions filled by CVS and Walmart, two of America’s largest retail pharmacies.

So far, it’s been a tumultuous month for the San Francisco, California-based company, when the Department of Justice (DoJ) sued for alleged misuse of drugs like Xanax and Adderall. The DoJ investigation led to the firing of founder and CEO Kyle Robertson last week.

The company’s popularity has soared in recent months after Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, often considered one of the biggest in her field, signed up as the company’s Chief Impact Officer after major mental health issues at the Tokyo Olympics last year.

Cerebral has also faced allegations from former nurses who reported feeling pressured to diagnose patients with conditions such as ADHD and prescribe them controlled medications like Adderall.

Done Health, a Cerebral competitor criticized for dispensing controlled substances too easily, will no longer take prescriptions from the two retail giants.

Biles famously struggled with his mental health during the Tokyo Olympics, causing him to retire from some events.

As of Thursday, CVS will no longer refill these prescriptions, stating that it “could not address our concerns about Cebral and Done Health.”

Earlier this month, Cerebral halted distribution of the ADHD drugs Ritalin and Adderall as it faces investigation from federal investigators.

He told Reuters that he aims to ensure that patients who take the drugs regularly do not lose access to their prescriptions and that their treatment is stopped.

The company is part of an emerging but controversial pharmaceutical industry that has flourished in recent years before it exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Telemedicine companies have emerged in the United States that can quickly consult patients and even offer prescriptions written by certified medical professionals.

Cerebral CEO and founder Kyle Robertson (right) was fired from the company after a subpoena last week by the Justice Department over allegations of abuse of controlled drugs like Xanax and Adderall.

Cerebral’s focus is on mental health, but other companies also cover things like male pattern baldness as wide-ranging as neurological treatment. Some online clinics even consulted with Covid patients last year, causing an increase in ivermectin prescriptions.

These companies have become popular in America, where many young people are uninsured or uninsured and access to therapists and other psychological help is difficult due to long waiting lists.

However, the Justice Department’s investigation has left the fledgling company in disarray. Robertson was the face of the company before he was sacked as CEO last week. Now instead of Dr. Dave Mou is the company’s former Chief Medical Officer.

“Cerebral plans to fully cooperate with the investigation, which we have already relayed to the US Attorney’s Office,” the company told DailyMail.com in an email statement on May 9.

He also noted: “No regulator or law enforcement agency has currently charged Cerebral with violating any laws.”

The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.

The addition of Biles to the team was announced in October. Since then, she has posted and even appeared in multiple ads for the company on her social media accounts. NBC News Now to promote the brand.

It is also a growing company and currently has telemedicine treatment vacancies and telemedicine licenses in almost every state in the United States.

The use of these telemedicine services was stopped during the Covid period, when many doctors and physiotherapists were closed due to pandemic restrictions. shift to another gear †

“The safe medical care of our patients is our top priority. Cerebral’s services have been particularly critical in the past two years, when the accompanying COVID-19 pandemic has made it much more difficult to obtain personal assistance, and the eruption of the mental health crisis they are facing in the United States and the consequent shortage of healthcare workers. it happened,” the company tells DailyMail.com.

A March Wall Street Journal report found that Cerebral and one of its competitors, Done, which has not been immune from criticism, found that nurses working for companies felt pressured to prescribe drugs like Adderall.

Because consultations are often shorter and faster – a key feature of the way the company operates – and follow-up appointments are not guaranteed, nurses often prescribe drugs of abuse to people who don’t have much time.