World News | US National Jailed for Importing Misbranded Drugs from India

Washington, Sep 10 (PTI) A US federal court on Friday sentenced an American national to six months of imprisonment and imposed a USD 150,000 fine for importing misbranded drugs from India.

Kenneth Zipperer, 54, from Wisconsin, imported foreign-sourced prescription drugs from an internet pharmacy company in India via the US Mail and Express Mail Service, according to the indictment.

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None of the drugs were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human consumption in the United States.

Zipperer distributed many of the foreign-sourced prescription medications to his insurance clients in person, primarily at the business office for Zipperer Financial LLC in Wausau, the indictment alleged. The accused pleaded guilty to Counts 3 and 21 of the indictment.

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After accepting the two guilty pleas, US District Judge William M Conley sentenced Zipperer to six months in federal prison, imposed a USD 150,000 fine, and ordered him to pay USD 483 in restitution, said Timothy M O'Shea, acting US Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.

“Distributing unapproved prescription drugs is illegal and puts consumers' health at risk. In order to protect public health and safety, our office works closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those who seek to profit from selling unapproved prescription drugs,” O'Shea added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)