Patient Harm
Medical Device King sold imported IUDs and counterfeit cancer drugs that poisoned an American patient
Update: On December 13, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated William Scully’s conviction because a lower court “declined to allow Scully to introduce evidence at his 2015 trial showing he sought legal advice about importing drugs with foreign labels from one of his lawyers.” Ultimately Scully pleaded guilty to one charge of…
[...]Nationwide Epidemic of Counterfeit Pain Pills Containing Fentanyl Claims Lives in 23 States
On October 23, 2015, the San Francisco Department of Public Health released an urgent warning concerning deadly fentanyl disguised as the low-level anti-anxiety medication Xanax. 3 people in San Francisco died as a result of consuming the fentanyl-laced pills. Since that time there have been reported deaths and overdoses attributable to the fake pills in…
[...]Black Market Cosmetic Injectables Threaten Americans
The United States has been experiencing an uptick in the number of patients being treated with fake and misbranded injectable cosmetic treatments. Learn more about these cases, which are one of the most common ways Americans are exposed to dangerous counterfeit medications. In June 2014, Elva Navarro, a spa owner in McAllen, Texas, pleaded guilty…
[...]Dallas Pair Arrested After Client Found Dead from Fake Beauty Treatments
Denise Ross and Jimmy Joe “Alicia” Clark have been arrested in Dallas on murder charges stemming from their use of Hydrogel as a beauty injection treatment. Wykesha Reid’s body was found wrapped in gauze in Ross and Clark’s abandoned beauty salon. Even before Reid’s death, authorities had sought Ross and Clark for practicing medicine without…
[...]California-based Company Sued for Allegedly Implanting Back Surgery Patients With Counterfeit Spinal Hardware
The former owner of a California hospital has pleaded guilty to participating in an illegal medical kickbacks conspiracy, and a medical equipment manufacturer has recalled of all of its spinal fusion hardware due to “performance failures that could cause patient harm.” The case is linked to more than two dozen lawsuits filed alleging that counterfeit…
[...]Daniel Burke Shares his Perspective on the Danger Fake Online Pharmacies Pose at Interchange 2014
Special Agent Burke shared cases such as grandmother Betty Hunter’s run-in with counterfeit cancer medication.
[...]USA Today Reports Counterfeit Drugs A Huge Portion of Fake Consumer Products Available for Sale Online
From chainsaws that come apart while in use to medications that don’t work or make people sick, products for sale online are increasingly being found to be counterfeited. An April 30th report in USA Today points out that dangerous fake goods are easily found for sale on the Internet, and counterfeit medication numbers among the…
[...]Texas Experiences Rash of Fake Dermal Filler Injuries, 3 People So Far Indicted in Scam
In Hidalgo, Texas, three different beauticians are accused of injecting patients with toxic, non-medical silicone or other liquid plastics instead of an FDA-approved dermal filler. In all, 30 patients report health issues, and at least one has died. On the 19th of the month, Elva Navarro, owner of Bella Face and Body Spa in McAllen,…
[...]Drugs purchased from a legitimate-looking online pharmacy killed an American ExPat
Marcia Bergeron died in British Columbia in December 2006 from heavy metal poisoning caused by the prescription medications she had purchased from a fake online pharmacy. Friends and family were shocked, because Marcia’s health was robust, and she thought she was suffering from the common flu.
[...]Missouri Businesswoman Dies After Fake Anemia Drugs Delay Cancer Treatments
In March 2002, oncology nurses in Missouri at discovered that their patient, Maxine Blount, had been taking Procrit that was only one-twentieth the strength it should have been. The counterfeit did not treat her anemia, leading to delays between chemotherapy infusions that allowed her cancer to advance much more rapidly. She died in October 2002.
In 2005, her brother testified before Congress: if her drugs had been genuine “she would have lived longer…experienced much less pain and suffering, and have been able to spend more time with her family.”
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