A Texas physician continued to write prescriptions for ivermectin and other drugs for Alabama patients during telehealth visits for months after being informed that he did not have a valid license to practice medicine in the state, according to the Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners.

The Board, which regulates medical licenses in the state, issued a cease and desist letter to Dr. Frank Byoung Lee of Allen, Texas, ordering him to immediately stop practicing in the state.

The letter warned the doctor that practicing medicine without a license was a Class C Felony and that the board would “engage all lawful means necessary to compel your compliance with Alabama law.”

According to the letter, Lee received a temporary emergency license to practice in Alabama in April 2020, during the early waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That license expired in November 2020, but the Board now says that Lee continued to write prescriptions for Alabama patients for various drugs including ivermectin, a controversial anti-parasitic drug that was sometimes used “off-label” for COVID-19 patients.

Ivermectin is not an approved treatment for COVID-19, and large-scale, controlled studies of the drug did not show a benefit to COVID patients who took it.

The state medical examiners board said Lee continued to write prescriptions to Alabama patients as recently as last month despite being told in January by the medical board that he was not licensed to practice medicine in Alabama.

“[Y]ou have continued to practice medicine in Alabama, as evidenced by your prescription of ivermectin, as well as your prescription of controlled substances, to Alabama patients,” the letter states. “You were contacted by a Board investigator on or about January 6, 2022 and informed that you were not licensed to practice medicine in Alabama.

“Despite knowing that you are not licensed to practice medicine in Alabama, you have continued to practice medicine unlawfully, having written a prescription for an Alabama patient as recently as September 7, 2022.”

Lee is listed as an online care provider at a business called Virtual Doctors Online. His profile includes under “Services offered” prescription refills for anti-depressants or anxiety drugs, prescriptions for erectile dysfunction medication, “work note excuses,” and “plastic surgery medical clearance.”

The state medical board’s office said it did not have any comment on the matter aside from the letter.