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DOCTOR SOLD MISBRANDED DRUG

HCG – HUMAN CHORIONIC GONADOTROPIN – IS NOT APPROVED FOR WEIGHT LOSS

In late April, the United States Department of Justice reported that a Gainesville, Georgia, physician pleaded guilty to the unauthorized sale of a “purported weight loss drug product that contained human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG.”

HCG – a hormone – has been approved for the treatment of infertility in women and as a hormonal regimen for men. But it has not been approved for weight loss. (In fact, on its website, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration describes the drug as “dangerous” to use for other purposes and guides that, “If you have HCG products for weight loss, quit using it, throw it out, and stop following the dieting instructions.”)

In a statement released by the DOJ, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of its Civil Division, noted, “Doctors who distribute drugs must comply with federal law designed to ensure these products are safe and effective ….The Department will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to stop the distribution of misbranded HCG drugs and other misbranded drugs, including through criminal enforcement where appropriate.”

According to the plea agreement, the doctor has been ordered to forfeit some $65,000.

Think that was a weighty loss?


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DOJ PRESS RELEASE (04.24.23)

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