Pharmacist accused of theft, addiction, and working while impaired wins back license

A southeast Iowa pharmacist who allegedly admitted stealing drugs for personal use over a period of six years is being fined $500 and allowed to resume the practice of pharmacy.

Records of the Iowa Board of Pharmacy indicate that Bryan Vander Linden, the former pharmacist in charge and owner of Summit Pharmacy, 300 W. Burlington Ave., Fairfield, admitted last year that he had intentionally diverted an undisclosed amount of controlled substances “for personal use” over the course of six years while working at a Hy-Vee pharmacy in Fairfield.

According to the board, Vander Linden’s admission came about after federal agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration launched an investigation into some form of unspecified “discrepancies” at Summit Pharmacy.

In May 2024, Vander Linden was charged by the board with knowingly making misleading or untrue statements in the practice of pharmacy; habitual intoxication or addiction to drugs; being convicted of a state or federal law related to drugs or the practice of pharmacy; stealing prescription drugs from a pharmacy for one’s personal use; and practicing pharmacy while under the influence of illegally obtained drugs or while impaired by legitimately prescribed drugs.

Board records indicate Vander Linden’s license was suspended last year when he signed an agreement to refrain from practicing. At the time, the board barred Vander Linden from entering the Summit Pharmacy building and barred him from remotely accessing pharmacy records or software.

As part of a separate agreement with Vander Linden’s father, Thomas Vander Linden, Summit Pharmacy agreed to name a new pharmacist in charge and to change all of the locks at the pharmacy.

Recently, the board agreed to settle the charges against Bryan Vander Linden, in part by lifting the May 2024 license suspension. Vander Linden, the board stated in its decision, “may return to practicing as a pharmacist at Summit Pharmacy.”

The settlement stipulates that Vander Linden cannot hold a controlled-substances registration at Summit Pharmacy until the board orders otherwise. In addition, he must pay a $500 civil penalty and participate in the state’s Impaired Practitioners’ Health Program for Pharmacy and submit to any required drug screenings.

Federal court records indicate Vander Linden is currently facing undisclosed criminal charges, with his initial appearance in the case, his arraignment, and a plea-agreement hearing all scheduled for Thursday before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Helen C. Adam.

Other licensees subject to recent action by the Iowa Board of Pharmacy include:

— Heather Henkelvig, who was charged last year with incorrectly dispensing a prescription drug. The board alleges that on April 25, 2023, a patient was incorrectly given Clomipramine, an antidepressant, instead of the prescribed medication, Clomiphene, which is used to induce ovulation in women.

As part of its case, the board alleged that on that same day the incorrect drug was dispensed, Henkelvig was the sole pharmacist working at a Hy-Vee pharmacy. “On that day,” the board alleges, Henkelvig and three registered pharmacy technicians in the store “dispensed 588 prescriptions,” and Henkelvig was also responsible that day for “verification and counseling” for a telepharmacy located in Winwood, Iowa.

Henkelvig has been fined $500 and ordered to complete educational training on patient safety and medication errors. Board of Pharmacy records include conflicting information as to the Hy-Vee store where the error occurred, with one set of records indicating it occurred at a Mount Pleasant store, and another indicating it happened at a store in Washington, Iowa.

— CVS Pharmacy at 3804 Metro Drive in Council Bluffs, which was charged with the incorrect dispensing of drugs and failing to maintain complete and accurate records related to medication errors. The pharmacy allegedly removed the drug Clobazam from its original packing, which indicated the drug must be used within 90 days of opening, and placed it in a pharmacy vial that carried what the board calls a “beyond-use date of one year.” The pharmacy has been fined $1,000, issued a warning, and is required to provide all staff with educational training on patient safety and medication errors.

— Todd Thompson of Iowa City, who is charged with six regulatory violations, including knowingly making misleading or deceptive representations in the practice of pharmacy;  violating a state or federal law related to the practice of pharmacy or the distribution of controlled substances; willful or gross negligence; obtaining a fee by fraud or misrepresentation; failing to create and maintain complete and accurate records; and obtaining or possessing prescription drugs with legal authority.

Thompson is the owner of the SmartScripts pharmacy in Washington, Iowa, which is charged with the same six offenses as Thompson. The underlying actions that led to the imposition of the charges has not been disclosed by the Board of Pharmacy. A hearing on the two cases is scheduled for May 7, 2025.