LAFEYETTE, La. (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Department of Justice announced Feb. 16 that Pick and Pay Inc./Cili Minerals LLC (Cili Minerals) and its owner and CEO, Anton S. Botha, have been permanently enjoined from distributing allegedly misbranded and unapproved drugs.
The defendants purportedly violated the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) when it manufactured, promoted and distributed dietary supplements that were not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The supplements were intended to treat, cure or prevent a variety of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, multiple sclerosis and other serious conditions.
However, the company allegedly never submitted these products to the FDA for approval. The products had never been found to be safe and effective for medical use, the DOJ says.
“Consumers deserve to know that the dietary supplements they ingest are safe and comply with the law,” said U.S. attorney Stephanie A. Finley for the Western District of Louisiana. “When manufacturers and distributors market and distribute misbranded and adulterated products, the Justice Department will take affirmative steps to protect consumers. I want to thank the attorneys and investigators who worked so hard to keep our citizens safe.”
Handling the case for the department was trial attorney Christopher O’Connell of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, with the assistance of assistant U.S. attorney Karen King of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana and Ariel Seeley of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of General Counsel.