Batches of Stolen Breast Cancer Drug Reappear in Counterfeit Form
European Medicines Agency released warning that previously stolen vials of Herceptin have been repurposed as counterfeit versions of the drug. Lots of the adulterated cancer drug have been found in the United Kingdom, Germany and Finland.
Swiss pharmaceutical manufacturer Roche has recalled several lots of its breast cancer treatment, Herceptin, reported Bloomberg News on April 16. The drugs were recalled because lots of the drug that had been reported stolen have resurfaced adulterated and containing little or none of the active ingredient in the drug.
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According to Bloomberg, the Herceptin vials had Italian labeling, so it is suspected they may have been stolen from an Italian hospital. Counterfeit versions made from these stolen lots have been discovered in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Finland, reports Reuters.
Medscape reported that Roche recalled the following batches of Herceptin: H4311B07, H4329B01, H4284B04, H4319B02, H4324B03, H4196B01, H4271B01, H4301B09, and H4303B01. According to Medscape, the vials exhibit evidence being tampered with, such as “lack of a match between vial and outer package for the batch numbers and expiry dates, presence of liquid inside the vial (should be a white to yellow powder), and evidence of tampering with the rubber stoppers, crimping caps, or lids.”
Bloomberg reported that it was a U.K. wholesaler who first noticed the discrepancies between lots numbers and packaging of the Herceptin. Finland has decided to suspend distribution of all imported Herceptin until this situation is resolved. According to Bloomberg, this is the first time a drug suspected to be counterfeit has breached the secure drug supply chain in Finland.
A life-saving cancer treatment could be a death sentence if it contains no active ingredients. Learn more by reading “The Hidden Poisons Found in Counterfeit Medication.”