U.S. District Court Ruling – Misbranded & Unapproved Drugs – Tianeptine
As reported by LAPPA (August 2022)
United States v. Mark Godding and Linda Godding, U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, Case No. 21-cr000345 (sentences issued May 20 and June 10, 2022).
Beginning in 2017, Colorado residents Mark and Linda Godding sold products they described as “nootropics,” a class of substances that allegedly boost brain performance, through the website Blue Brain Boost. Although the Goddings claimed these products constituted “smart drugs” and “cognitive enhancers” tested by independent labs and subject to quality control, the couple actually sold misbranded and unapproved new drugs imported from China. Among the drugs sold was Tianeptine Soda Powder, a new drug the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns is prone to misuse by those with a history of opioid use disorder or overdose. Sales continued even after the Goddings received complaints from customers about unexpected negative side effects. In this criminal case, prosecutors charged the Goddings with introducing or delivering for introduction a misbranded drug into interstate commerce. Mark Godding pled guilty on January 26, 2022, and Linda Godding pled guilty the next day. Both received sentences of six months of imprisonment.
