Fraudulent Telemedicine Practices Unveiled
Deceptive promotional campaigns originating from Done, a telehealth enterprise, have been implicated in a scheme that illegitimately dispensed $100 million worth of Adderall prescriptions. This revelation has raised significant concerns surrounding health fraud.
Done. specializes in providing treatment regimens for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), entailing virtual consultations with psychiatrists. Both CEO Ruthia He and clinical president David Brody strategically orchestrated the unauthorized distribution of Adderall.
This was confirmed by the Office of Public Affairs of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), as a federal jury in San Francisco found them guilty of such illicit activities on November 18, 2025, as noted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The DOJ indicated that individuals displeased with their chaotic lives during the COVID-19 pandemic were deliberately targeted by Done.’s misleading advertisements, leading them to believe they suffered from ADHD.
Furthermore, deceptive ads were aimed at individuals pursuing pills without valid prescriptions. He reportedly incentivized nurses to illicitly refill prescriptions and enabled patients to receive medication for protracted periods without necessary clinical assessments through automatic refills.
Despite their clients facing issues such as substance abuse, addiction, and overdose, He and Brody perpetuated their fraudulent scheme. Their social media marketing, which incurred $40 million in expenditures during the early 2020s, facilitated this dishonest practice.
To amplify their reach, TikTok and Instagram content creators were compensated to produce entertaining advertisements that trivialized ADHD and promoted Adderall, as reported by SFGATE.
A research study published in the British Medical Journal by Emma Gram on October 5, 2025, identified that misleading medical narratives are proliferated via social media channels, often reaching expansive audiences.
An analysis conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network indicated that among 982 social media posts concerning medical assessments from accounts accumulating over 194 million followers, a mere 14.7% addressed potential adverse effects.
Alina Robinson, a sophomore from Carlmont High School, reported her experiences with misleading social media content. “Many individuals accept misinformation as fact due to the confidence exhibited by users disseminating it,” Robinson remarked.
Similarly, fellow sophomore Ella Needleman echoed this sentiment, noting, “I’ve encountered medical advertisements and manipulated videos that distort factual information into compelling, albeit erroneous, narratives.”
Ph.D. candidate Emma Gram has investigated issues related to overdiagnosis and the excessive use of low-value medical services, identifying marketing strategies that facilitate unsafe practices.
“I was astounded by the sophistication of algorithms that target individuals, exploiting their fears and aspirations to promote unnecessary products,” Gram stated.
They know all of your fears, they know all of your hopes, and then they’re leveraging these to sell you products you don’t need,”
This realization has catalyzed Gram’s ongoing research. “The enormity of this acknowledgment imposed upon me was unsettling. It is imperative to fortify consumer protections beyond current protocols,” she asserted.
Robinson emphasized that the persuasive nature of influencers complicates the differentiation between genuine information and misinformation.
“Individuals fail to verify what they encounter, simply consuming content and assuming its validity due to the confidence presented,” she noted.
Robinson specifically mentioned the misleading promotion of Ashwagandha gummy advertisements she has seen on TikTok.
“These muffins are marketed as a panacea capable of resolving ADHD and more. However, a closer examination of the product reveals a stark contradiction to the claims made by numerous healthcare professionals,” she stated.
Gram’s exploration includes popular medical assessments widely discussed on social media, such as full-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, testosterone tests, the multi-cancer early detection test, and the Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) test.
“We have applied methodologies from social media content analysis, examining various posts through hashtags and targeted searches. Our aim is to emulate genuine social media interactions among consumers likely to seek specific tests or treatments,” Gram elaborated.
The outcomes of this investigative work unveiled the deceptive tactics prevalent in medical marketing on social platforms.
“Our findings revealed an emphasis on purported benefits; however, the mention of potential risks associated with these tests was alarmingly scant. Conflicts of interest were also evident, with promoters possessing vested interests in the sale of these assessments,” Gram elucidated.
According to Robinson, influencers often portray medical tests and remedies as revolutionary interventions. “Such products are frequently framed as singular solutions with exceptional life-altering capabilities,” she asserted.
Gram highlighted that this dilemma is particularly pronounced in the context of women’s health issues. “The increased attention to menopause and related topics is being exploited financially by pharmaceutical corporations,” she criticized.
While potential remedies exist to counteract this exploitation, their effectiveness varies. Gram suggested that an emphasis on educating consumers about misinformation and advocating against misleading advertisements could prove beneficial.
“However, I contend that these solutions oversimplify a complex issue by assuming consumers are incapable of discerning misinformation,” she remarked.
In her findings, Gram has identified more impactful solutions, such as the regulation of medical marketing. Countries like Australia and several European nations have initiated bans against celebrities promoting medical products irresponsibly.
Other legislative measures may limit the carefree promotion of products by influencers across social media platforms.
“The formidable challenge lies in the monitoring and enforcement of these regulations. Existing frameworks prohibit misleading marketing, yet the vast expanse of social media content complicates the identification of deceptive material,” Gram asserted.
She proposed a strategic approach for governmental oversight. “Establishing a concrete framework to delineate misleading social media content would greatly aid regulatory bodies,” Gram concluded.
Source link: Scotscoop.com.
