Man accused of claiming drug would lower COVID-19 risk

Matthew Ryncarz and his company Fusion Health and Vitality, which operated as Pharm Origins, are accused of saying a misbranded drug called Immune Shot would lower the risk of getting COVID-19 by 50 per cent, according to federal prosecutors in Savannah.

A Georgia man falsely claimed that a drug his company was selling would lower the risk of becoming infected with COVID-19, federal prosecutors said. Matthew Ryncarz and his company Fusion Health and Vitality, which operated as Pharm Origins, are accused of saying a misbranded drug called Immune Shot would lower the risk of getting COVID-19 by 50 per cent, according to federal prosecutors in Savannah. The drug “bore false and misleading labeling,” prosecutors said in a news release Monday.

A lawyer for Ryncarz did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the charges of selling a misbranded drug. “Our office is committed to ensuring that businesses do not take advantage of a global health crisis and people's fears in order to unlawfully make a buck,” US Attorney Bobby Christine said in the release.

Ryncarz created a website through Pharm Origins in March and began selling ImmuneShot for USD 19 a bottle, particularly targeting people over 50, prosecutors said. The website included pitches like, “We are offering you the exclusive price of only USD 19 per bottle because we know that Immune Shot could be the most important formula in the WORLD right now due to the new pandemic.”