Centera Bioscience, d/b/a Nootropics Depot, and its CEO, Paul Eftang, 38, pleaded guilty to the introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce. U.S. Magistrate Judge Talesha Saint-Marc scheduled sentencing for February 5, 2024.

Between April 2017 and December 2021, Centera Biosicence and Mr. Eftang marketed pharmaceutical drugs, including tianeptine, adrafinil, phenibut, and racetams, on Nootropicsdepot.com and online platforms like Facebook and Google. They sold the drugs to customers across the United States. Centera Bioscience employees and Mr. Eftang also regularly made representations about the company’s drugs through a Reddit forum dedicated to Centera Bioscience products. As part of the plea, Centera Bioscience has agreed to forfeit $2.4 million. Centera Bioscience has also agreed to forfeit all tianeptine, adrafinil, phenibut, and racetams seized by the FDA and Customs and Border Protection.