Whistleblowers expose unlicensed workers handling prescription medications at Kirkland pharmacy that supplied GLP-1 weight-loss drugs nationwide.
KIRKLAND, Wash. — In a nondescript business park east of Seattle, a startup pharmacy raced to meet surging demand for weight-loss medications.
But according to multiple whistleblowers and internal videos, the operation cut dangerous corners in its pursuit of profit.
The company, Aequita, manufactured off-brand versions of blockbuster GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro at a fraction of the cost. As orders poured in from across the United States, the small Kirkland facility struggled to keep up. Operations manager James Lindsay had a solution to the manpower shortage, one that would trigger a state investigation and raise serious questions about patient safety.
According to six former employees interviewed by KING 5, Lindsay recruited unqualified workers from Home Depot and Lowe's parking lots.
"They would come over to our main facility, our main pharmacy, and actually handle the pharmaceuticals themselves when we were short staffed and they didn't have any state licensing," said Paul Meyers, Aequita's former lab manager and the only whistleblower willing to speak publicly.
Internal surveillance footage obtained by state investigators reveals the extent of the violations. In one video, a day laborer opens a refrigerator stocked with GLP-1 medications bearing patient names — access that state law...
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