World News
Identifying Counterfeit Drugs Part of New Malaria Research
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) recently announced that it will create 10 malaria centers around the world to study issues related to the disease, including new methods for identifying counterfeit drugs used to treat the illness. The NIAID, which is part of the National Institute of Health, will provide the centers…
[...]Canadian Pharmacies Experiencing High Number of Pharmaceutical Thefts
A retailer that operates a chain of Canadian pharmacies is working to change its procedure to prevent theft of pharmaceuticals. An average of 30 Canadian pharmacies in Saskatchewan are broken into each year for the purpose of stealing OxyContin, a pain killer, according to the CBC. The drug has become popular among both abusers and…
[...]Free Trade Zones and Counterfeit Drugs: An Interview with PSM’s Bryan Liang and Netherlands Antilles’ Chief of Staff of the Inspectorate of Public Health
Following our update on the announcement of Google’s elimination of PharmacyChecker.com as a certifying authority for U.S. and Canadian pharmacies, we were contacted by Norbert C. Bernardina, from the Inspectorate of Public Health in Netherlands Antilles. “Every year Pharmacy Checker asks the Inspectorate of Pharmaceutical Affairs for a declaration that Pharmaceutical Services International functions according…
[...]Handheld Device Fighting Counterfeit Drugs in Nigeria
While there is no silver bullet to solving the counterfeit drug problem, anti-counterfeiting technologies are showing promise. Earlier this spring, SecuringPharma reported that Thermo Fisher Scientific’s handheld TruScan spectrometers have been used in operations that have led to the seizure of more than 60,000 counterfeit medicines since being their deployment in Nigeria. Weighing less than…
[...]Counterfeit Medicines Grow as Global Threat
Last month, representatives from all over the world discussed the dangers posed by counterfeit medicines at the World Health Assembly in Geneva. The problem is growing. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that more than half of all medicines bought online are counterfeit. U.S. experts say there is no one solution. Read full article
[...]Rogue Pharmacy Using Social Media
Earlier today, the Guardian’s Technology Blog posted a malware roundup to alert readers of scams and spam making their way around the Internet. Disturbingly, author Chris Arthur found that a known rogue pharmacy has set up shop on Twitter. The Official Canadian Pharmacy at Canadian-Drugshop.com uses the Twitter handle @canadianshop to boldly display its offerings,…
[...]European Coding System Looks to Combat Counterfeits: Part Two
This is the conclusion of our interview with Anthony Barron, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations’ (EFPIA) coding and identification project coordinator, who spoke with us about a tracking pilot project currently underway in Sweden aimed at reducing the risk of counterfeit drugs dispensed to patients. Read part one of the interview. PSM:…
[...]International Consortium Tackles Global Counterfeit Problem: Part Two
Last week, we brought you part one of our interview with Martin VanTrieste, vice president of quality assurance at Amgen, a biotechnology company, and the co-founder of Rx-360, a global consortium formed to address weaknesses in the pharmaceutical supply chain. Now we bring you the conclusion of our interview. PSM: It might surprise some that…
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International Consortium Tackles Global Counterfeit Problem:
Part One
From drug manufacturing to delivery, weaknesses in the pharmaceutical supply chain have been long documented—and introduce opportunities for substandard and counterfeit medications to be passed along to consumers. To mitigate this global threat, a group of companies and associations from all facets of the pharmaceutical industry have teamed up to form Rx-360, an international consortium…
[...]TIME Article on Counterfeit Drugs Trade
Read the TIMES article. Washington-based agency the Pharmaceutical Security Institute, run by Partnership for Safe Medicines board member Thomas Kubic, was created to address the problem of major pharmaceutical companies losing billions every year to counterfeit drug trafficking around the world. Now a group of international dignitaries and industry experts will join this international effort…
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