Two individuals have been charged in U.S. District Court in Providence in an ongoing investigation into the introduction of a misbranded drug imported from India and distributed in Rhode Island and elsewhere in the Northeast without FDA approval, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Court documents reflect that Jitender Behl, 74, of East Greenwich, RI, imported hundreds of thousands of pills from India that contained the pharmaceutical ingredient sildenafil citrate (sildenafil). Sildenafil is an active ingredient in FDA-approved prescription drugs prescribed for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.
Behl allegedly repackaged the pills, marketed them as being an all-natural dietary supplement for erectile dysfunction under the brand names of “JMY” which stands for “Just Me & You,” and distributed them to a wholesale distributor, Noor Inc., in Providence. To date, law enforcement has seized more than 130,000 imported sildenafil pills and tablets, more than 650 grams of imported sildenafil soft gel capsules, and approximately 21,700 empty Mylar bags allegedly used for packaging the illicit product.
Court records detail that JMY’s website indicated that Noor Inc. was the sole U.S. wholesale distributor of “JMY.” Noor sold JMY to retail outlets in the Northeast, including Rhode Island and Massachusetts. FDA undercover agents allegedly purchased packages of “JMY” from retail outlets. JMY’s list of ingredients did not include the active pharmaceutical ingredient sildenafil and instead listed purported ingredients such as “White Willow Bark” and “Korean Ginseng,” among others.
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