Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Over $16M in Altered HIV Meds

[Jim Allen]

https://www.poz.com/article/florida-man-pleads-guilty-distributing-16m-altered-hiv-meds

A Miami man has pleaded guilty to setting up companies in several states in order to sell at least $16.7 million in adulterated and misbranded HIV meds, notably Truvada and Biktarvy. He faces a maximum of five years in prison.

Court documents consider drugs to be adulterated “if, among other things, any substance has been substituted in whole or in part for the drug.” Misbranded drugs include those with false or misleading labels.

The case against Herrera involves at least 16,050 tablets of Truvada, which is also used as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, to prevent HIV; 3,690 tablets of HIV treatment Biktarvy; and 7,341 tablets of other medications, all of which were adulterated or misbranded according to court filings.

[kentfrat1783]

This is awful but doesn't shock me that it happened from someone that is from Florida.

[leatherman]

only 5 years? Wonder what other lawsuits await this guy in the future? Shouldn't a class action lawsuit be next if there were consumers who have gotten these "medications" and have had adverse effects, like rising viral loads, resistance issues, etc.

[numbersguy82]

Why is it always a Florida man??? They should’ve thrown the book at him much harder, imo. I hope he never needs life saving drugs, but if he does, I hope their efficacy has been reduced!

[Jim Allen]

Florida 

A topic that so often comes up during our calls.

[numbersguy82]

Florida 

A topic that so often comes up during our calls.

15 years was enough for me… the rest of the US can have at it 

[kentfrat1783]

And think back in 2020 I was looking at buying a home in Florida. Well I'm glad that didn't happen. 

[Charles.M]

And think back in 2020 I was looking at buying a home in Florida. Well I'm glad that didn't happen.

Back in 2014  I did. So if I read this story correctly, these fake or partially fake drugs wound up in regular pharmacies to unknowing patients. This was not some internet mail order scam. They were sold in the normal medication pipelines! And just because he was in Florida does not mean the pills were and could have been distributed anywhere?

[Jim Allen]

. So if I read this story correctly, these fake or partially fake drugs wound up in regular pharmacies to unknowing patients. This was not some internet mail order scam. They were sold in the normal medication pipelines! And just because he was in Florida does not mean the pills were and could have been distributed anywhere?

You read it correctly

"Armando Herrera and his co-conspirators established companies in California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Texas and Washington and then used those companies to sell the adulterated meds to wholesale pharmaceutical suppliers from January 2019 to November 2021, according to court documents and a press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ)."