World News

Measures will be introduced before the end of the year to better control the supply of ingredients for medicines, especially those produced by chemical firms that have crossed over into the drugs market, Yan Jiangying, spokeswoman for the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), said Tuesday. The image of China's pharmaceutical industry overseas has been…

Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced "sweeping" new legislation yesterday to protect consumers from unsafe products and tainted food and drugs, and warned companies that care more about their profits than their customers will face "severe" punishment. The proposed law would give the minister of health far-reaching new powers to pull products off the shelf after…

The Food and Drug Administration has tripled the number of deaths it attributes to side effects of the blood thinner heparin, which triggered a massive recall earlier this year. The agency has been investigating contamination of heparin made by the manufacturer Baxter International Inc., which it linked to 19 deaths and hundreds of allergic reactions.…

The proliferation of counterfeit drugs on the global market and easy availability via online pharmacies is an increasing problem. The makers of counterfeit drugs have enjoyed and profited from loopholes in a system designed to deliver healthy medicines to those in need. The rising cost of prescription medications and the ubiquitous presence of online and…

The proliferation of counterfeit drugs on the global market and easy availability via online pharmacies is an increasing problem. The makers of counterfeit drugs have enjoyed and profited from loopholes in a system designed to deliver healthy medicines to those in need. The rising cost of prescription medications and the ubiquitous presence of online and…

DENVER – A Greek national has been indicted on charges of selling counterfeit prescriptions through Internet pharmacies. Gergios Xydeas, 47, was before the U.S. District Court in Denver Friday for a detention hearing after a three-year investigation of his pharmaceutical sales operation. Prosecutors alleges that Xydeas was involved in the operation of Internet pharmacies which…

The Physicians Coalition for Injectable Safety, an alliance of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (AAFPRS) and the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ASOPRS), announces their partnership to the U.S. FDA Counterfeit Alert Network. The Coalition is the first organization accepted…

Ordering prescription drugs online can be safe and convenient when patients use legitimate online pharmacies, but it is all too easy for patients to find themselves the recipients of counterfeit drugs from dishonest Web sites. The vast number of Web sites offering prescription drugs puts patients in "buyer beware" situations as it is often difficult…

The proliferation of counterfeit drugs on the global market and easy availability via online pharmacies is an increasing problem. The makers of counterfeit drugs have enjoyed and profited from loopholes in a system designed to deliver healthy medicines to those in need. The rising cost of prescription medications and the ubiquitous presence of online and…

The FDA believes it has discovered the contaminant in the blood-thinning drug heparin that has caused hundreds of allergic reactions and 19 deaths. It appears to be a cheap, plentiful substance that is made from animal cartilage. Mimicking heparin in chemical tests and falsely giving the impression of larger amounts of the drug, it was…