Drug Distributors Convicted in Federal Court

In one of the first convictions of its kind, two wholesale pharmaceutical distributors, based in Forest Park, Ohio, were convicted in federal court of failing to supply their customers with drug "pedigrees"--documents tracing sales of the drug back to the manufacturer. Under the federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act, drug wholesalers must provide pedigree papers to their customers to help prevent the introduction of counterfeit, adulterated, and other illegal drugs into the U.S. pharmaceutical supply. RxBazaar and its wholly owned subsidiary, FPP Distribution, each pled guilty to one misdemeanor charge, and each was sentenced to five years' probation and a $100,000 fine. RxBazaar operated a website, http://www. rxbazaar.com, through which buyers and sellers would conduct wholesale transactions, and FPP Distribution distributed drugs to customers. Both companies are closing their businesses. As part of their plea agreements, the companies requested that a statement about their illegal actions be published in trade magazines.