MILWAUKEE — A state board on Wednesday suspended the license of a Milwaukee area pharmacist accused of ruining more than 500 doses of COVID-19 vaccine because he thought it was unsafe.
Steven Brandenburg was working at Advocate Aurora Health in Grafton, about 20 miles north of Milwaukee, when he was arrested last month after an investigation into the 57 spoiled vials of the Moderna vaccine.
No criminal charges have been filed yet. A status conference in the case is scheduled for Tuesday.
The Wisconsin Pharmacy Examining Board said in its order that Brandenburg cannot practice pharmacy while the suspension is in place. It said Brandenburg agreed to the action “in order to focus” on possible charges against him.
Brandenburg’s attorney, Jason Baltz, had not responded to a phone message left Wednesday evening by The Associated Press.
Advocate Aurora Health Care Chief Medical Group Officer Jeff Bahr has said Brandenburg admitted he deliberately removed the vials from refrigeration at the Grafton medical center.
A detective wrote in a probable cause statement that Brandenburg, 46, is an admitted conspiracy theorist and that he told investigators he intentionally tried to ruin the vaccine because it could hurt people by changing their DNA.
Misinformation around the COVID-19 vaccines has surged online with false claims circulating on the vaccines’ ingredients and possible side effects.
One of the earliest false claims suggested that the vaccines could alter DNA. The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine as well as the Moderna vaccine rely on messenger RNA or mRNA, which is a fairly new technology used in vaccines that experts have been working on for years. MRNA vaccines help train the immune system to identify the spike protein on the surface of the coronavirus and create an immune response. Experts have said there is no truth to the claims that the vaccines can genetically modify humans.
Photos: Event venues struggle amid COVID-19 health restrictions
Jessica Warternweiler, above, and her partner, Eric Welch, converted a vintage metal building on the Near East Side to an event venue called The Tinsmith, adding features like a greenhouse and other spaces. Last year's season was booked before the pandemic hit.
Jessica Wartenweiler, right, with Sarah Davidson, chief strategist and creative director with HUE by Sarah Davidson, gives a tour of her event venue, The Tinsmith, including a VIP suite, on East Main Street in Madison, Wis., Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
The Tinsmith, an event venue on East Main Street in Madison, Wis., Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
The courtyard at The Tinsmith, an event venue on East Main Street in Madison, Wis., Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Jessica Wartenweiler gives a tour of her event space, The Tinsmith, on East Main Street in Madison, Wis., Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
The Tinsmith, an event venue on East Main Street in Madison, Wis., Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
The VIP suite at The Tinsmith, an event venue on East Main Street in Madison, Wis., Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
The Tinsmith, an event venue on East Main Street in Madison, Wis., Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
The Tinsmith.
Jessica Wartenweiler gives a tour of her event space, The Tinsmith, on East Main Street in Madison, Wis., Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Sarah Davidson, chief strategist and creative director with HUE by Sarah Davidson, left, and Jessica Wartenweiler, owner of The Tinsmith, an event venue on East Main Street, at the business in Madison, Wis., Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Jessica Wartenweiler gives a tour of her event venue, The Tinsmith, including the greenhouse space, on East Main Street in Madison, Wis., Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Stacey and Ben Martinelli spent years planning for their new event venue, The Eloise, situated in the rolling hills near Mount Horeb. Like many in the hospitality and event industry who have been devastated by COVID-19, they hope to work with public health officials on a path to safely reopening in 2021.
Ben and Stacey Martinelli give a tour of their event venue, The Eloise, in Mount Horeb, Wis., Friday, Dec. 18, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL \
The Eloise, an event venue, in Mount Horeb, Wis., Friday, Dec. 18, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
The Eloise, an event venue, in Mount Horeb, Wis., Friday, Dec. 18, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
The Eloise, an event venue, in Mount Horeb, Wis., Friday, Dec. 18, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Stacey Martinelli gives a tour of the event venue, The Eloise, that she owns with her husband, Ben, in Mount Horeb, Wis., Friday, Dec. 18, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL \
Ben and Stacey Martinelli show off a private wedding suite that's part of the 1,500-square-foot The Eloise.
Matt Gerding, president of FPC Live, visits The Sylvee, a 2,500-capacity concert venue off East Washington Avenue on the Near East Side that's been closed for nine months.
The Sylvee, a concert venue, in Madison, Wis., Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Matt Gerding, president of Frank Productions, gives a tour of The Sylvee, a concert venue, in Madison, Wis., Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
The Sylvee, a concert venue, in Madison, Wis., Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Brandenburg
