Posts Tagged ‘counterfeit drugs’
“Safe” Country Focus: United Kingdom
As my colleague Thomas Kubic recently noted, most supporters of drug importation have a faulty assumption that developed countries like Canada, Australia, Japan and the 27 members of the European Union (E.U.) are insulated from the global threat of counterfeit drugs. In the coming weeks, we will take a closer look at some of these so-called “safe” countries and illustrate why there is no such thing as a “safe” country when it comes to drug importation.
[...]Interview Spotlight: Building Pharmaceutical Anti-Counterfeiting Programs
Dr. Frances Richmond from the University of Southern California (USC) School of Pharmacy and Lew Kontnik of Amgen are the organizers of the upcoming “Building Pharmaceutical Anti-Counterfeiting Programs” course, which will take place on Nov. 18 at USC.
[...]PSAs Warn Cambodians of Counterfeit Drug Dangers
Earlier this month, a public health campaign was launched in Cambodia to help raise awareness and combat the rising threat of counterfeit drugs throughout Southeast Asia. The campaign, launched by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Convention with the support of Cambodian authorities, includes a nationally broadcasted public service announcement (PSA) series titled “Pharmacide.”
[...]FDA Warns of Online H1N1 Influenza Virus Drug Product Purchases
FDA is alerting you to a use extreme caution when purchasing any medication over the Internet claiming to prevent or treat H1N1 influenza virus. Several orders of the H1N1 vaccine Tamiflu (oseltamivir) purchased from online pharmacies were found to be a health threat to consumers.
[...]The new “Spamalot” – Spam Solicitations for Counterfeit Drugs
On October 13, a USA Today article featured a report released from the antivirus company McAfee. They found that 70 percent of spam in September was from websites advertizing “Canadian pharmaceuticals.” Further, the only thing that made it “Canadian” was the word Canadian and the maple leaves on the spammers’ web page. The increase in counterfeit drug spam may be due to the rising fears surrounding H1N1 flu, as well as the intensity around the topic of healthcare costs.
[...]Creating Marketplaces Free from Counterfeit Drugs
On October 12, The Foundation Chirac, a long-time champion of access to safe medicines in African countries, is hosting a meeting in Cotonou, Benin, to discuss the counterfeit drugs that plague African citizens.
[...]Counterfeit Drug Aftermath Still Plagues Panama
In 2006, 116 people were confirmed dead in Panama after the government distributed cough syrup, antihistamine tablets, calamine lotion and rash ointment that was unknowingly made with counterfeit glycerin, a sweetener and thickening agent commonly used in medication. The Panamanian government believed they were receiving 99.5 percent pure glycerin from a Spanish distribution company. In reality, what they bought was diethylene glycol, the poisonous chemical commonly found in antifreeze and brake fluid, which the original Chinese manufacturer passed off as glycerin.
[...]Internet Search Engines Promote Illegal Online Pharmacies
The Partnership for Safe Medicines, a group of organizations and individuals dedicated to protecting consumers from counterfeit medicines, issued the following statement regarding recent reports released by LegitScript, an online pharmacy verification service, and KnujOn,an Internet compliance company, which found that 80 to 90 percent of search engine-sponsored advertisements of online drug pharmacies violate federal and state laws, including selling substandard or counterfeit drugs to unsuspecting consumers.
[...]India Takes First Steps to Address Counterfeit Drug Makers
The Indian government has finally improved their laws to address this important public health issue. While these new laws took five years before enactment, on August 10, India’s Ministry for Health & Family Welfare began enforcing the Drugs and Cosmetics (Amendment) Act of 2008.
[...]Did You Ever Wonder Why People Buy Counterfeit Drugs?
Last month, the Wall Street Journal featured an article that discussed the efforts currently underway to deter people from buying counterfeit products. It pointed out that many anti-counterfeiting messages fail to address the underlying motivation which leads people to buy counterfeit products.
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