Article Topic
January 31, 2022: New York nurses allegedly sold $1.5 million in fake vaccine cards
Two nurses in New York allegedly made $1.5 million over a three month period forging vaccine cards and entering them in New York’s statewide vaccine database. Catch up on this and 16 more stories.
[...]January 24, 2022: 85,000+ bottles of fake HIV medicines
First among the more that two dozen stories in this week’s round up: Gilead Sciences is suing a a network of unauthorized drug suppliers and distributors for selling over 85,000 bottles of counterfeit HIV medicines sold as legitimate Biktarvy and Descovy to U.S. pharmacies.
[...]Take Action: Ask congress to require domain name sellers to take down websites that sell drugs illegally
The “Domain Reform for Unlawful Drug Sellers” or “DRUGS” Act would require domain name sellers to lock and suspend websites when regulators or law enforcement show evidence that they are selling drugs illegally.
This would be a game changer for patient safety.
January 18, 2022: Stay on top of COVID with CDC tips for buying real masks; 4 free home tests
The surge of the omicron variant has left people struggling to find COVID tests and upgrading their face coverings. Read on to find suggestions for both, as well as the rest of the week’s counterfeit medicine news.
[...]Fake HIV Medication Reached U.S. Pharmacies—And Patients
A new story in the Wall Street Journal revealed details about the mysterious criminal counterfeiting ring that has been selling fake versions of HIV medications Biktarvy, Symtuza, and Descovy to licensed pharmacies. Read to learn some key things about the crime.
[...]January 10, 2022: Buyers, beware COVID test scams and counterfeits
Amidst a shortage of COVID-19 tests that has encouraged fraud and counterfeits, the FTC published guidance about how to avoid purchasing fake home test kits online. Catch up on this and counterfeit drug stories across eight states.
[...]January 4, 2022: Fentanyl deaths rise; 13% in western states are from fake pills
Recent analysis at the CDC found that fentanyl is the leading cause of death for U.S. adults ages 18-45, and fake pills are playing a prominent role: in western states, more than 13% of fentanyl deaths involved counterfeit pills. Catch up on all the news here.
[...]O’Donnell J, Tanz LJ, Gladden RM, Davis NL, Bitting J. Trends in and Characteristics of Drug Overdose Deaths Involving Illicitly Manufactured Fentanyls — United States, 2019–2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 14 December 2021.
Summary What is already known about this topic? Synthetic opioids, including illicitly manufactured fentanyls (IMFs), were involved in 64% of >100,000 estimated U.S. drug overdose deaths during May 2020–April 2021. What is added by this report? During 2019–2020, IMF-involved overdose deaths increased sharply in midwestern, southern, and western jurisdictions. During 2020, approximately 40% of IMF-involved…
[...]December 13, 2021: Legislators continue to seek permanent scheduling of fentanyl and its analogues
Senators Cassidy and Burr and Representatives Latta and Griffith introduced new legislation to permanently classify fentanyl analogues as Schedule I substances. Temporary scheduling is currently set to expire in February 2022. Catch up on this and 24 more stories in this post.
[...]Video: Fake Cough Syrup Ring in Texas
Is there money in counterfeit cough syrup? There really is—but you can never tell what’s in fake medicine and sometimes it will kill you. Watch this week’s video to learn about a recently busted cough syrup ring in Texas.
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