ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say an upstate New York company that imports and sells drugs to U.S. pharmacies and its president have pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for introducing a misbranded drug, admitting that from 2005 to 2007 they claimed Chinese human growth hormone was FDA-approved.
They say Medisca Inc. of Plattsburgh and 63-year-old Antonio Dos Santos of Montreal have agreed to forfeit $1.7 million in gross profits from the drug sales.
Sentencing is scheduled March 14.
The indictment says their promotional literature claimed the somatropin was either an FDA-approved drug or from an FDA-approved facility based on the assignment of an FDA National Drug Code number. But FDA regulations say assigning an NDC number does not denote approval.
A call to the company was not immediately returned Friday.
