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# Feds Say Frenchman Made False Statements to FDA
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/feds-say-frenchman-made-false-statements-to-fda/
- Published: 2021-11-24T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T17:23:37.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, #legacy-id-D5150647

The Department of Justice says **Alain Bouaziz**, a French national who lives in the United Arab Emirates, has been charged with making false statements to FDA to fraudulently obtain control of Sanorex, a weight-loss drug owned by an unidentified major pharmaceutical company. A department [statement](https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/french-national-charged-making-false-statements-fda-fraudulently-obtain-control?ref=fdaweb.com) says Bouaziz was arrested at Newark Liberty Airport while attempting to leave the U.S.

According to the statement, Bouaziz represented himself to be the chief operating officer of Hexim Pharmaceuticals, headquartered in Secaucus, NJ.

Beginning in 2/2018, the department says, Bouaziz submitted forged documents and made false statements to FDA stating that Hexim had purchased the NDA for Sanorex and asking for a meeting with agency officials to discuss marketing the drug in the U.S.

“Bouaziz knew these representations were false because Hexim had not purchased the rights to Sanorex from Pharmaceutical Company-1,” the statement says. “The documents that Bouaziz submitted to FDA contained multiple forgeries and false statements, including one example where an earlier agreement between Alkopharma (previous name of Hexim) and Pharmaceutical Company-1 had been altered to purport to show a sale of Sanorex to Hexim.

The false statements charge carries a maximum term of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss caused by the offense, whichever is greater.