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Posted December 13, 2021

Seller of Vitamin B12 Injections Without Prescription Pleads Guilty

On December 8, 2021, 46-year-old Des Moines resident Bradley Tomlinson plead guilty to a felony charge related to the sale of misbranded vitamin B12 injectable drugs. Tomlinson began selling these injectable drugs in May 2015 and marketed them as weight loss drugs.

The FDA warned Tomlinson that dispensing drugs without valid prescriptions violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) after an inspection in December of 2016. Following the warning, Tomlinson closed his business, but began selling the same injections on a new website from December 2016 to April 2019.

In a Department of Justice (DOJ) news release about the case, Acting Assistant U.S. Attorney General Brian M. Boynton said, "Dispensing drugs such as these without a prescription or the involvement of a medical professional endangers consumers and violates the law…The department will continue to work hand-in-hand with the FDA to investigate and prosecute the illegal dispensing of prescription drugs."

"Selling prescription drugs online- with no medical supervision- can cause serious harm and put consumers' health at risk." FDA Special Agent Charles L. Grinstead stated in the DOJ's news release.

Tomlinson's sentencing is scheduled for April 15, 2022.

See ConsumerLab's answer to the question: What is vitamin B12 and how much do I need?

For more information, use the link below.

Iowa Man Please Guilty to Selling Misbranded Vitamin B12 Injectables

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