Fritz Brunz pled guilty today in the Northern District of California to owning and operating an Internet pharmacy (healthylifemeds.com) which introduced misbranded drugs (Ritalin, Halcion and Xanax) into interstate commerce. Brunz will be sentenced on July 29, 2009.
As I have discussed before, misbranding is essentially a catch all offense under the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act, which includes mislabeling, distributing drugs without a prescription and providing inappropriate warning information. The Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act is utilized by the Government primarily in prosecutions for noncontrolled substances. While the FFDCA is equally applicable to controlled substances, controlled substance distribution offenses are brought under the Controlled Substances Act. For a background on noncontrolled substance Internet pharmacy law, click here.
The content on this post does not constitute legal advice and is for informational purposes only. You should not act upon the information presented on this website without seeking the advice of legal counsel. Should you wish to speak to an experienced criminal defense lawyer knowledgeable in prescription, drug and Internet pharmacy law, including the Controlled Substances Act, the Ryan Haight Act and Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act violations, please feel free to contact me directly.
Category: Court Cases
