Doctor to retaliate for drug charges
A Reno physician who beat a federal indictment that accused him of trafficking in a human growth hormone said he plans to retaliate against the federal government, quite possibly for prosecutorial misconduct.
James A. Forsythe, who spoke to hundreds of attendees during a session of the 15th Annual Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine in Las Vegas on Friday, didn't indicate what form of recourse he plans to take but said, "We will be doing something about it at this time.''
Forsythe is the owner and medical director of the Century Wellness Clinic in Reno.
He was indicted Sept. 27, 2006 and charged with one count of causing introduction into interstate commerce an unapproved new drug -- Bio-Tropin, one count of distribution of human growth hormone and aiding and abetting. He faced the potential of prison time and about a half-million dollars in penalties for those charges.
Bio-Tropin is a form of human growth hormone. Forsythe was alleged to have distributed Bio-Tropin for a purpose other than the treatment of a disease or other recognized medical condition.
Federal prosecutors argued that Forsythe sold the drugs illegally for anti-aging purposes, falsifying the diagnosis of a growth hormone deficiency to cover his tracks. In putting together their case, the FDA used an undercover agent.
Forsythe said they also may have used a "disgruntled employee.''
In November, a jury acquitted Forsythe of his charges. Forsythe said the 30-month investigation, which included raids at his home and practice and the confiscation of hundreds of medical files, took a toll on his professional and private life.
On Friday, Forsythe said he lost privileges at two Northern Nevada hospitals, his medical malpractice insurance rates went up tenfold and he lost his directorship at local nursing homes. In addition, Forsythe's wife, former Nevada Republican Party Chairwoman Earlene Forsythe, took a hit to her reputation.
"I think they came after the wrong man,'' he told the audience inside a Venetian conference room. "But I wasn't going to lay down and let this happen to me.''
