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On 25 October 2022, Natural Franchises Pty Ltd trading as Aus Labs Research Supplements (Aus Labs), SARMs International Pty Ltd trading as iSARMs (iSARMs), Smart Labs Pty Ltd, and the sole director of the three companies, Christopher Ramsey, pleaded guilty in a Sydney court to over 200 offences of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 for the manufacture, supply and advertising of unapproved therapeutic goods.
Sentencing for this matter is set for hearing at Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney on 15 and 17 March 2023.
The court outcome follows an extensive investigation conducted by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) during 2019 and 2020 which uncovered Mr Ramsey and his companies were manufacturing and selling a range of selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) and nootropics not included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.
SARMs are experimental medicines claimed to build muscle mass and bone density and are purported to have fewer side effects than similar products, such as steroids. In Australia, SARMs are prescription-only medicines. This is because no SARM has been fully researched or approved for human use.
During the investigation, TGA found a product supplied by Aus Labs and iSARMs contained the Schedule 10 ingredient, Cardarine, a substance banned in Australia due to being a potential carcinogen.
If you suspect non-compliance in relation to therapeutic goods, you can report illegal or questionable practices online to the TGA.
The TGA encourages the reporting of suspected non-compliant advertising.
Contact for members of the media:
- Email: news@health.gov.au
- Phone: 02 6289 7400