Alberty Food Products Co. v. United States
Decision Date | 20 November 1950 |
Docket Number | No. 12483.,12483. |
Citation | 185 F.2d 321 |
Parties | ALBERTY FOOD PRODUCTS CO. v. UNITED STATES. |
Court | U.S. Court of Appeals — Ninth Circuit |
George H. Hauerken, Cyril Viadro, and Hauerken & St. Clair, all of San Francisco, Cal., for appellant.
Frank J. Hennessy, U. S. Atty., Edgar R. Bonsall, Asst. U. S. Atty., San Francisco, Cal., (Arthur A. Dickerman, Atty., U. S. Food & Drug Adm., Washington, D. C., of counsel), for appellee.
Before HEALY, BONE and POPE, Circuit Judges.
Appellee filed a libel under which it seized appellant's drug here involved (33 bottles of Ri-Co Tablets) charging therein that the drug was "misbranded" in violation of 21 U.S.C.A. § 352(f) (1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, referred to hereafter as the Act. The specific ground of complaint was that the "labeling" of the drug failed to bear adequate directions for use since it did not state the purpose or condition for which the drug was intended. The only directions for use on the label attached to the bottle read as follows:
At the hearing below two newspaper advertisements from daily publications in large cities were introduced. These ads show that appellant's drug was there represented and recommended by appellant for use in the treatment, mitigation, and cure of arthritis and rheumatism. The two advertisements read as follows:
Appellant appeared as claimant of the drug and filed exceptions to the libel. In essence the exceptions were that the Act does not require the labeling of a drug to state the disease condition for which it is to be used. In this connection it contended that the misbranding here charged was merely a failure to include upon the label of the container information to consumers which was not required by the Act to be included thereon either as directions for its use or otherwise. As a consequence the libel failed to state a cause of action because the alleged misbranding was not a misbranding at all. Appellant's exceptions were overruled by the trial court. Appellant's subsequent answer to the libel admitted that the seized Ri-Co Tablets were a drug that had been shipped in interstate commerce.
After the answer, appellee filed a motion for summary judgment which asserted (1) there were no facts in dispute and (2) the only legal issue had been decided in favor of appellee when the lower court overruled claimant's exceptions to the libel. It supported this motion by (1) an affidavit of a food and drug representative incorporating photostats of the complete labeling on the drug container and the two newspaper advertisements above noted, and (2) the affidavits of four physicians (licensed to practice in California) attesting to the complete worthlessness of Ri-Co Tablets in the treatment or cure of arthritis or rheumatism or their symptoms.1
Appellant filed no counter-affidavits, and after hearing the court granted appellee's motion for summary judgment, made and entered Findings and Conclusions and a Decree pursuant thereto. The Decree condemned the drug, ordered it destroyed2 and awarded certain costs to appellee. The appeal is from this Decree.3
In urging reversal appellant presents five claims of error committed by the lower court and it simplifies the problem in this case by stating that these errors relate to only two basic issues. Claims 4 and 5 both relate to the procedural question of whether a summary judgment was proper in this case. Claims of error, 1, 2 and 3 all relate to the question of whether or not the Act requires that the directions (on the bottles) for the use of the tablets include a statement of the conditions for which the tablets are used.
In appellant's argument on the issues as thus narrowed, it says:
"With the exception therefore of the procedural issues of whether a summary judgment can be granted in a condemnation proceeding and whether a summary judgment should have been granted in this proceeding, the only issue before this court is the issue of whether the Act requires that the directions for the use of the tablets include a statement of the conditions for which they are used.
* * * * * *
(Emphasis supplied.) (As later appears this reference in the last sentence refers to the propriety of the summary judgment in this case.)
As respects the legal sufficiency of the label appearing on its bottle appellant clarifies its position by the further argument: (Emphasis supplied.)
The foregoing argument conclusively shows that appellant relied exclusively upon these "outside sources," namely, the newspaper advertisements, to provide all of the information which could possibly enlighten prospective purchasers of its drug concerning "the conditions" for which the drug was to be used by them.
Appellant also offers some reasons for its failure to include on the bottle label nothing more than the dosage recommended. In substance it argues that: a statement of all conditions or symptoms for which the drug is used would be so long that it could not be included within the limits of the label. While it is true that Sec. 352(f)(1) requires "directions for use" on the labeling, and Sec. 321(m) defines "labeling" as including the "label" on the immediate container and all other "accompanying" literature, still this use of the more inclusive term "labeling" is nullified by Sec. 352(c) which deems a drug misbranded unless all information required to appear on the labeling be placed thereon in such manner as to render it likely to be read and understood by the ordinary individual under customary conditions of purchase and use.
The arguments in the preceding paragraph lack persuasiveness and merit.
Two recent cases present a material bearing on the issue before us. Kordel v. United States, 335 U.S. 345, 69 S.Ct. 106, 93 L.Ed. 52, and United States v. Urbuteit, 335 U.S. 355, 69 S.Ct. 112, 93 L.Ed. 61. The Kordel case involved the shipment and sale of a drug — a charge of misbranding was made because of certain representations in "accompanying" leaflets, circulars and pamphlets supplied by Kordel, and distributed by his...
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Pfizer, Inc. v. Miles, Inc.
...1985, citing Kordel v. United States, 335 U.S. 345, 349-50, 69 S.Ct. 106, 109-10, 93 L.Ed. 52 (1948) and Alberty Food Products Co. v. United States, 185 F.2d 321, 324-325 (9th Cir.1950)). 36 Miles cites McNeilab, Inc. v. HHS, No. 84-1617, slip op. (D.D.C. June 5, 1985), for the proposition ......
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Wilson v. Frito-Lay N. Am., Inc.
...physical attachment one to the other is necessary. It is the textual relationship that is significant.”); Alberty Food Prods. Co. v. United States, 185 F.2d 321, 324–25 (9th Cir.1950) (citing Kordel for this proposition); see alsoUnited States v. Harkonen, No. C 08–0164 MHP, 2009 WL 1578712......
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Miller v. United States
...and condemnation of property for violation of statute, that criminal and not civil procedure applies. Alberty Food Products Company v. United States, 9 Cir., 185 F.2d 321, 326, decided that summary judgment may be entered in a case under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C.A.......
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Wilson v. Frito-Lay N. Am., Inc.
...physical attachment one to the other is necessary. It is the textual relationship that is significant."); Alberty Food Prods. Co. v. United States, 185 F.2d 321, 324-25 (9th Cir. 1950) (citing Kordel for this proposition); see also United States v. Harkonen, No. C 08-0164 MHP, 2009 WL 15787......