Staff Reports

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Industry – A lawsuit has been filed in federal court issuing an injunction to shut down Health One Pharmaceuticals, a manufacturer of dietary supplements based in the City of Industry.

The firm and its President, Richard S. Yeh, have agreed to shut down and stop production of adulterated and misbranded dietary supplements and unapproved new drugs in an effort to resolve the lawsuit as part of a consent decree.

According to the Department of Justice’s Acting Assistant Attorney General, Joyce R. Branda, “Protecting the health of American consumers is some of the most important work we do.  We have an unwavering commitment to ensuring that the dietary supplements in this country are safe and have been manufactured in accordance with federal law.”

Based on the results of FDA inspections, the suit alleged that Health One Pharmaceuticals violated laws in the preparation, packaging, and labeling of certain drugs that do not meet regulations required by federal law, and they have failed to conduct at least one appropriate test or examination to verify the identity of every dietary ingredient prior to using the ingredient.

In addition, the complaint alleged that some of the company’s products were unapproved new drugs intended for use in the cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease that are not generally recognized as safe and effective for their intended uses, nor were they the subjects of new drug applications approved by the FDA.  This makes these drugs misbranded, because it is impossible to provide adequate directions for use.

The FDA referred this matter to the Department of Justice for investigation.  The Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, together with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, filed this case on behalf of the United States.