Recently, a San Francisco-area doctor pleaded guilty to selling fake Botox and Juvederm. According to a Department of Justice press release, the 45-year-old doctor and her medical practice both pleaded guilty to charges, including a misdemeanor and a felony.
The doctor pleaded guilty to violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). She was charged with receiving and delivering misbranded drugs and misbranded and adulterated devices. These charges are misdemeanors. Her medical practice also violated the FDCA. The charges that her medical practice pleaded guilty to included receiving and delivering misbranded drugs and misbranded and adulterated devices. These charges are felonies.
The doctor specialized in completing cosmetic procedures for patients that involved using devices and injectable drugs. According to the charges she pleaded guilty to, the doctor obtained and used devices and prescription drugs that were not subject to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals and licenses. She also attempted to conceal these actions from the FDA and her patients.
Additionally, the doctor obtained some unapproved products from outside the United States. These products included unlicensed and unapproved hyaluronic acid filler devices and injectable botulinum toxin drugs that the doctor obtained from online “pharmacies” outside the U.S.
The doctor sold these products to patients, representing them as Botox and Juvederm, which are both FDA approved. The doctor and her practice made more than $1 million for selling fake Botox and Juvederm to patients.
Sentencing in this case will take place on April 7, 2023.
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