Company director sentenced to 2 years imprisonment with personal and company fines of over $2.5 million for selling illegal SARMs

On 17 March 2023, Christopher Ramsey, the Director of AusLabs, Smart Labs and iSARMs, was sentenced at Downing Centre Local Court to 2 years imprisonment and fined $300,000 for his role in the manufacture, supply and advertising of illegal SARMs (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators) and nootropic products.

Mr Ramsey’s sentence will be served by way of an intensive corrections order. He was also ordered to complete 750 hours of community service and received an additional $1,100 fine for possession of a tablet press, which will be seized.

Mr Ramsey’s three companies also received significant fines totalling $2,225,000. Natural Franchises—which traded as AusLabs—received a fine of $1,050,000, SARMS International (iSARMS) received a fine of $775,000, and Smart Labs received a fine of $400,000.

This court outcome follows the TGA’s significant investigation which led to the seizure under warrant of manufacturing materials for illegal SARMs and nootropics. Last October, Mr Ramsey and his companies pleaded guilty to over 200 offences of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 for the manufacture, supply and advertising of unapproved therapeutic goods.

SARMs are experimental medicines claimed to build muscle mass, muscle strength and bone density and in Australia strictly require a prescription for their supply. No SARMs medicine has been approved for human use. 

Nootropics are a class of medicines used to improve memory, increase mental alertness and concentration as well as boost energy levels and wakefulness. Many nootropics, such as modafinil, are prescription-only medicines used to treat serious diseases, such as narcolepsy and sleep apnea. These medicines cannot be advertised to consumers and can only be supplied under prescription by an Australian medical practitioner.

On 17 March 2023, the TGA also issued 4 infringement notices to Ultimate Health and Fitness Pty Ltd totalling $53,280, and 4 infringement notices totalling $10,656 to an executive officer of the company for the alleged unlawful advertising of sports supplement products, being prescription medicines, not included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.

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