World News
FDA Needs More Inspectors to Monitor Foreign Firms, Official Says
More inspectors and a comprehensive computer database are needed to help the U.S. Food and Drug Administration improve its monitoring of foreign-made drugs and drug ingredients entering the United States, an agency official told U.S. lawmakers Wednesday. Due to limited resources, the FDA each year inspects only about 10 percent (300) of foreign facilities that…
[...]Avoid hazards of medical treatment abroad
Orla Buckley was less than a week into her study abroad program in Spain when things went sour. Days after arriving in Seville in May 2003, Buckley, then 19, was walking home from a class during a Scotland vs. Portugal soccer match being played in the city. When Scotland scored, an exuberant fan outside the…
[...]Agency issues warning over medicine bought online
For safety’s sake, keep out drug imports
A couple of weeks ago, the Government Accountability Office delivered an alarming message to a congressional panel — the Food and Drug Administration lacks the resources to ensure the safety of the nation's food, drugs and medical devices. Congress has vowed to fix the FDA. It plans to boost its funding, which is a good…
[...]Nigeria: Fake Drugs More Vicious Than HIV/Aids – Task Force
In its determination to eradicate the sale of fake drugs in the country, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Taskforce on Counterfeit and Fake Drugs (TFC&FD) has called on the public to desist from buying drugs from unregistered pharmacists stressing that "fake drugs are more vicious than the scourge of malaria and HIV/AIDS." Making the call…
[...]Most counterfeit medicines come to Russia from India, UK – Roszdravnadzo
MOSCOW. Feb 20 (Interfax) – According to the Russian Federal Service on Surveillance in Healthcare and Social Development (Roszdravnadzor), the majority of counterfeit medicine comes to the Russian market from India and the UK. "Roszdravnadzor has made a rating of domestic and foreign producers by the relative volume of counterfeit products, using an analysis of…
[...]Burkina Faso: Government Inaction Spurs Consumption of Counterfeit Drugs
One in five pharmaceutical drugs bought in Ouagadougou is counterfeit and sold on the street with no prescription and no expiry date, according to the Ministry of Health. Despite laws banning the practice, the government has lost control of the industry and the unregulated drug market continues to expand, with damaging health consequences, fear doctors…
[...]Web goods can pose health risk
The National Retail Federation is expected to issue a warning today about stolen infant formula and over-the-counter medicines popping up on Internet auction sites. Some of the products pose a risk to consumers because they must be stored at a certain temperature, typically 68 to 77 degrees, to avoid spoiling. Thieves aren't likely to be…
[...]Kenya: Citizens At Highest Risk of Taking Fake Drugs
Kenyans have been listed among African consumers at highest risk of exposure to counterfeit drugs. Findings of a recent study on the drugs market presented at the ongoing pan-African conference in South Africa indicates that many African governments lack the necessary mechanisms to curb the sale of counterfeit medicines. "The responsibility of combating counterfeits should…
[...]94% of counterfeit drugs come from abroad – official
MOSCOW. Feb 14 (Interfax) – About 60 brands of counterfeit medicines were seized in Russian pharmacies last year, Valentina Kosenko from the Federal Health Care and Social Development Supervisory Service told a Thursday press conference in Moscow. 14 February 2008 Read the full story at interfax-news.com.
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