Kansas City, Mo. ? A Kansas City-area pharmacist pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of selling counterfeit or misbranded medication.

Douglas Albers, 55, of Leawood, Kan., was indicted last year as part of a massive conspiracy that prosecutors said planned to sell $42 million in stolen, misbranded and bogus pharmaceutical drugs, such as the popular anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor.

Albers pleaded guilty to one count each of selling counterfeit Neupogen and misbranded Neupogen, a human growth hormone used to increase white blood cell counts in people with lowered immune systems, such as cancer and AIDS patients. As part of the agreement, the government dropped charges related to his company’s sale of counterfeit Lipitor.

Albers faces up to six years in federal prison and $500,000 in fines at his sentencing hearing, scheduled for Feb. 27.

As part of the plea deal, Albers agreed to forfeit his Kansas and Missouri pharmacist licenses and will pay a $500,000 civil forfeiture on behalf of his Kansas City-based company, Albers Medical Distributors Inc.

As part of the agreement, the government dropped charges related to Albers Medical Distributors’ sale of counterfeit Lipitor.

Appearing before U.S. District Judge Ortrie Smith, Albers admitted that he sold the Neupogen to a California distributor in September 2001 despite warnings from the Food and Drug Administration that he had purchased and distributed bogus drugs in the past.

Don Ledford, a spokesman for Schlozman’s office, said prosecutors didn’t have any reports of people being harmed by the drugs.