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It’s been a tough stretch for crony capitalist drug manufacturer Nephron Pharmaceuticals – a company which has received tens of millions in taxpayer-funded subsidies from South Carolina politicians over the past decade-and-a-half.
FITSNews has reported extensively – and exclusively – on Nephron’s many problems, including mass layoffs of employees and multiple investigations led by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Despite it all, the company has remained a darling of establishment “Republican” politicians including former governor Nikki Haley, current governor Henry McMaster and current lieutenant governor Pamela Evette (who is running for governor in 2026).
The latest drama to befall the corporate welfare recipient? Posts to the social media platform LinkedIn by Nola Grant, Nephron’s chief human resources officer. Grant has been with Nephron since October 2022. In fact, we referenced her two years ago when we reported on layoffs at the West Columbia, S.C.-based firm.
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Earlier this week, Grant took to her LinkedIn page to solicit advise from her fellow “LinkedIn HR professionals.” Specifically, she inquired as to a “scenario” involving an executive who – according to her post – helped lead a “CEO directed ‘cover up’ in the guise of night with the clearing out, hauling off via truck loads and the destroying of equipment, documents and items from a warehouse.”
Wait… what?
“All to avoid FDA knowledge, visibility and accessibility… (and) to intentionally help LIE to the FDA about the use of that facility and the items stored there,” Grant added.
“To a ‘reasonable individual’ that would be considered VERY SERIOUS and to the FDA concerning, right?!?!” she continued.
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Um, yes. Very serious. And very concerning.
The post proceeded to reference multiple employees resigning from the company in question due to “the CEO’s hostile behavior, threats, unprofessional commentary and failure to adhere to regulatory best practices, which created a continuous debacle of fires and unnecessary cleanup.”
She also referenced federal, investor and regulatory audits of recent projects having been “spiked.”
Take a look…
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While Grant’s post was portrayed as a hypothetical, a former Nephron employee said it was abundantly clear she was referring to the company – which has grappled with internal chaos for years under chief executive officer Lou Kennedy.
The employee – who spoke on condition of anonymity – said the post “dropped some alarming insight into (Nephron) destroying documents and hiding stuff from the FDA.”
Meanwhile, Brittani Harrington – a former Nephron sales manager – posted a public response to Grant’s post which left no doubt as to the company she believed Grant was referencing.
“Sadly, I know none of this surprises anyone and that (a) majority of people around town know exactly what you are talking about and have watched it unfold first hand… for years,” Harrington wrote. “So good to see the few people out there who aren’t afraid to speak up for what is right and to be honest about the toxic work environment. The company and executives actions demonstrate a disregard for ethical standards and they absolutely prioritize profit over principle.”
Another former Nephron employee, quality operations manager Vanessa McCue, responded to the post saying “while being let go (from Nephron) broke my heart and spirit I have been on a healing journey and continue to pray for those that are too scared to speak up or can’t afford to.”
Neither Grant nor Nephron immediately responded to messages seeking comment on the social media posts. Obviously in the event we receive responses from either (or both), we will share them with our audience. We also reached out to the FDA to get its take on the matter, and will certainly provide an update on any developments from the agency’s perspective.
Count on FITSNews to keep our audience apprised as to any new developments related to this developing situation…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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1 comment
Gov. McMaster has nothing to do with Nephron’s alleged conduct. He is a man of high integrity, dignity and honor – his only flaw in most people’s eyes is that he is not, nor ever has been a “details guy” who really probes into matters. He relies on others to do that – which is his prerogative as a chief executive- and the occasional downside to that manner of leadership is that he can sometimes be misled, or just not aware of flaws in a program, etc. because some people don’t do the detail work or don’t speak to him with the proper level of full candor. But no-one is perfect.