Federal Court Bans GA Man From Selling Fake Coronavirus Treatment

ALPHARETTA, GA — A federal court entered a permanent injunction barring a Georgia company from selling unapproved vitamin D products touted as treatments for COVID-19, the Department of Justice said Friday.

In a civil complaint and accompanying court papers filed in November 2020 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, the United States alleges that Matthew Ryncarz and his Alpharetta based companies, Fusion Health and Vitality and Pharm Origins, sold and distributed products claiming they would cure, mitigate, or treat COVID-19 and other diseases. According to the government’s complaint, Ryncarz sold several products that purportedly contained vitamin D3, such as “Immune Shot,” “Immune Boost,” and “Core,” through websites. The complaint alleges that none of the products were generally recognized as safe and effective by qualified experts for any of the uses promoted by Ryncarz.

“The Department of Justice will not allow individuals to take advantage of consumers during a public health emergency by making unproven claims about unapproved drugs to profit from public panic,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Daniel Feith. “We will continue to work closely with the Food and Drug Administration to halt such conduct.”

According to the complaint, Ryncarz violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by introducing unapproved new drugs into interstate commerce. The complaint alleges that the defendants’ disease-related treatment claims lacked support from any well-controlled clinical studies or other credible scientific evidence. The complaint also asserts that such claims made in absence of any clinical data caused the products to be mis-branded under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Ryncarz and his company, Fusion Health, pled guilty on Sept. 29, 2020, in a separate but related criminal case in which Ryncarz admitted that labeling for his “Immune Shot” product falsely claimed it would lower the risk of contracting COVID-19 and that the product was mis-branded under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

“Americans expect and deserve medical treatments that have been scientifically proven to be safe and effective. Making claims that unproven drugs can cure or prevent diseases, including COVID-19, places consumers’ health at risk,” said U.S. Food and Drug Administration Chief Counsel Stacy Amin. “We remain committed to pursuing and taking swift action against those who attempt to subvert the regulatory functions of the FDA by repeatedly disregarding the law and distributing unapproved products.”

The public is urged to report suspected fraud schemes related to COVID-19 by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or by e-mailing the NCDF at disaster@leo.gov.