Policy/Enforcement News
April 29, 2020 episode: After 114 years of protecting Americans, the FDA is still hard at work—on #COVIDscams
The FDA was established to protect Americans from adulterated food and medicines and from criminals selling ineffective, outrageous, and sometimes harmful treatments. Unfortunately, fake cures are fertile ground for profiteers, and no matter how many products the FDA seizes, more crop up. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic the FDA has been working overtime to stop the sale of harmful and ineffective COVID “treatments.” This week PSM did some research in the FDA’s warning letter archives to survey fake COVID-19 cures.
[...]#covidscams episode for April 22, 2020
In this edition: Senators take up ASOP’s Call To Arms on domain name scams, more fake test kits, and the nearly infinite pool of #covidscam domain names.
[...]#covidscams episode for April 15, 2020
In this edition: ASOP letter to the White House, more fake test kits and treatments and HR 5663, the Safeguarding Therapeutics Act
[...]ASOP and 40 Patient Organizations Reach Out to Vice President Pence to Put a Stop to #Covidscams
In a letter dated April 9th, the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP) has requested that the Vice President prioritize evidence-based messaging and focus energies on provable therapies for treating COVID-19. The letter also asks the Vice President to address the “systemic, structural Internet policy problems that enable COVID-19 scams online.”
[...]#covidscams episode for April 8, 2020: LegitScript report, fake cures, fake testing sites, and covidscam bingo!
In this edition: LegitScript’s comprehensive report on COVID-19 cyberscams, U.K. man accused of selling fake COVID-19 cures, unauthorized COVID-19 testing sites in Kentucky,
[...]COVID-19 Scams Video Update, March 30, 2020
In this edition: Rise of Fake ‘Corona Cures’ Revealed in Global Counterfeit Medicine Operation, Fake ‘COVID-19 Testing Kits’ Across North America, FDA Letter: Do Not Use Chloroquine Phosphate Intended for Fish as Treatment for COVID-19, and L.A. Warns of Coronavirus Consumer Issues.
[...]Counterfeit Surgical Masks Seized During Operation Pangea, Fake COVID-19 Test Kits Seized by CBP
Operation Pangea found more than 34,000 bogus surgical masks among the 4.4 million illicit pharmaceuticals and 37,000 counterfeit medical devices seized during their seven-day global effort to target counterfeit drug crime. In Los Angeles, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized counterfeit coronavirus test kits. #covidscams are on the rise.
[...]After Four Prosecutions over 16 Years, L.A. City Attorney Forces Fake Pharmacies to Close for Good
According to a notice on the L.A. City Attorney’s website, the Dominguez family allegedly ran a counterfeit drug operation that sold approximately 13,848 counterfeit and misbranded pharmaceuticals, including counterfeit and misbranded versions of anti-seizure and blood pressure medications, injectable birth control and steroids, among others.
[...]FDA Worked With Indian Government To Seize 500 Counterfeit Drug Shipments in January
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just announced a successful joint operation with the Government of India targeting counterfeit prescription drugs, counterfeit over-the-counter medications, fake medical devices, and misbranded dietary supplements containing harmful ingredients.
[...]Senator McSally Meets with Experts on the Counterfeit Drug Trade
The Arizona Republic has reported that Executive Director Shabbir Safdar, along with Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration special agent in charge Doug Coleman, and Phoenix-area pharmacist Randle House and met with U.S. Senator Martha McSally in Arizona on August 8th to seek her assistance and support for efforts to protect the U.S. prescription drug supply from counterfeit medication
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