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(Salt Lake City-AP) -- A Utah company pleads guilty to selling a dietary supplement containing human growth hormone.
Federal law makes it a felony to sell growth hormone without a doctor's prescription.
Neways Incorporated of Springville agreed to pay a 500 thousand dollars criminal fine and forfeit one-point-25 (M)million dollars in profits from the supplement dubbed BioGevity, which was sold in spray bottles.
US Attorney Debra Yang of Los Angeles announced terms of the criminal settlement today. The sentenced will be imposed December 15 by U-S District Court Judge A. Howard Matz.
In a statement, Neways chief executive Michael Cunningham said his suppliers incorrectly assured the company it could sell a dietary supplement containing small amounts of human growth hormone without a doctor's prescription.
Cunningham said Neways dropped BioGevity in April 2000 before it was aware of the government investigation.
The company sold 100 thousand bottles of the spray over a year.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
