Legal: Counterfeit Drugs, One Click Away

If it looks too good to be true…. The price is unbeatable, the Web site proudly displays an accreditation seal of approval, medicines are advertised as “generics” of the branded versions (implying bioequivalence with respect to safety and efficacy), and patients never have to leave their homes. Marcia Bergeron, a 57-year-old Canadian resident likely had…

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Nigeria: LSHA Set to Fight Fake Drug Distribution

The Lagos State House of Assembly (LSHA) has resolved to mandate the Committee on Health to liaise with the Ministry of Health with a view to investigate the distribution, supply and sale of fake drugs in the state. Mr. Ajibayo Adeyeye, Deputy Majority Leader, the prime mover of the motion, noted that the distribution, supply…

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‘Viagra peddler’ goes on trial

A man from Gothenburg has gone on trial for selling impotence medicine Viagra over the internet. The man made millions of kronor from selling the drug to an international clientele. His website was translated into sixteen languages. The man claimed that the pills were original, made by pharmaceutical company Pfizer. The company itself says the…

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Fake Viagra smuggling attempt foiled

Sharjah, August 28th, 2007 (WAM)- UAE Health, Customs and Police authorities have foiled an attempt to smuggle 1,600 kgs of fake Viagra into the country through Dubai International Airport, according to Health Minister Humaid Al Qattami. Al Qattami described the attempt as the biggest of its kind in the UAE so far. "The consignment originated…

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Nigeria: Nafdac Launches Campaign Against Fake Drugs in Abaji

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has launched an enlightenment campaign in Abaji area council. A statement issued yesterday by Mallam Umar Salihu Kombo, press secretary to Abaji area council chairman, said the aim of the campaign was to lessen the dangers of fake, adulterated and expired drugs to the…

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Illegal online pharmacies cause losses to pharmaceutical manufacturers

Losses amounting to several billions of euros are caused to official pharmaceutical companies annually by tens of thousands of online pharmacies. Illegal medicines bought from the Internet are often stolen or counterfeit drugs, and frequently the contents of these cheap copies is not what it should be. According to the World Health Organization WHO, around…

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Zimbabwe: Fake ARVs Threaten Lives

The high cost antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and inadequate control mechanisms in Zimbabwe are driving a flourishing trade in fake ARVs by unlicensed dealers, activists have warned. The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) recently issued a statement warning the public that the dealers were importing and selling counterfeit ARVs to unsuspecting HIV-positive people who needed…

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