News Coverage
The Partnership for Safe Medicines has been publishing information about the counterfeit drug problem around the world for more than a decade. With experts leading the organization and a committed and passionate set of writers and editors, our content is more in-depth than many other sources, which simply copy links to the news from other websites.
More fake HIV medication has been found, this time in Kenya. The World Health Organization’s Prequalification of Medicines Program (PQM) first discovered fake versions of Zidolam-N, a HIV therapy, in September in Kenya, reports Securing Pharma. The counterfeit medications are of poor quality with visible molding, discoloration and friability. Kenya’s Pharmacy and Poisons Board has…
Five years ago today, Marcia Bergeron suddenly passed away. Marcia thought she had a common virus, but her symptoms were actually caused by the poisonous fake medications, and instead of getting better, she died suddenly of heavy metals poisoning. The coroner’s report determined that Marcia died of cardiac arrhythmia caused by metal toxicity. The…
United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) admitted that counterfeit versions of two HIV medication have been found in the UK market. Truvada, emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, is a combination HIV therapy. Orifarm, a Danish supplier of parallel-imported and generic pharmaceuticals acknowledged that their supply of Truvada had been compromised by “the…
$7 million dollars worth of fake medicines have been seized by Shanghai police, as well as 96 people arrested. MSN reported that more than 70 different medicines were counterfeited in the seizure of more than 5.5 million capsules. Manufacturing of the counterfeit pills occurred in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, reported authorities, who said that Shanghai,…
The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) has issued a report warning Americans be careful where they purchase their medications, especially those used to treat chronic diseases like high cholesterol, hypertension, cancer, HIV and bacterial infections. The Center for Medicine in the Public Interest estimates that fake medicine sales in the United States totals $75…
Some vital vaccines, listed as in short supply by the FDA, are advertised and sold online. Researchers Dr. Bryan Liang and Tim Mackey examined the online advertisers of these vaccines to see whether they were VIPPS accredited pharmacies, or if they were unreliable sources.
This is a reprint from Actavis. Actavis Elizabeth LLC is warning consumers and healthcare professionals that counterfeit Phentermine HCl Tablets (USP 37.5 mg) that contain fenfluramine, a dangerous ingredient, have been found in the United States. Phentermine is an appetite suppressant medicine that Actavis has not distributed in the U.S. since 2008 and does not…
Two British residents were sentenced for selling counterfeit medication, as well as Class C drugs and unlicensed medications. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) of Great Britain announced the sentencing of two counterfeit drug salesman apprehended in Britain as the result of a successful sting operation of their online medicine website. Between May…
US Congress proposed a Counterfeit Drug Penalty Enhancement Act to increase penalties for trafficking of counterfeit drugs to reflect the severity of the crime and harm to the public on November 17, 2011. The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal,…
Don’t turn to shady online vendors of medicine when you need cheaper prescription medication. You don’t know what you’ll get from a fake online pharmacy: it could be anything from deadly poison to absolutely nothing.
Chinese authorities reported a $315 million counterfeit drug and packaging bust on Thursday November 17, 2011. 16,000 police officers apprehended 1,770 suspects and raided more than 1,400 manufacturing and sales locations, reported AFP. Authorities found banned chemicals, repackaged expired pharmaceuticals and forged qualification documents. Over 100 different formulations from both domestic and foreign pharmaceutical firms…
In this free webinar, drug safety expert Bryan A. Liang will talk about specific and concrete ways clinics can protect their patients from counterfeit drugs.
November 17 is the 36th Great American Smokeout encouraging smokers to use the date to quit smoking, sponsored by the American Cancer Society. It’s a great time to quit smoking, but consumers need to avoid buying counterfeit smoking cessation medication from fake online pharmacies.
Not all online sources for smoking cessation aids are legitimate sources. Learn more about where to buy and where not to buy here.
In an update to November 8, 2011 news that Chinese authorities capture 65 million fake pills in a crackdown on Chinese counterfeiters, new sources now say that along with the fake medications, questionable and dangerous ingredients were found on sites. Animal feed and chemical pignments were found, as well as corn starch, reported The Associated…
Investigators have discovered counterfeit medications made all over the world, from Ecuador to Montreal.
While the world is still reeling from the news that 65 million bottles of fake medicine were confiscated in manufacturing and warehouse sites in Henan Province, China, officials remind consumers that counterfeit medications are made world-wide
Russia, France, Germany and other European countries signed the first ever international treaty to combat the counterfeit medicine industry . Developed in 2010, the Council of Europe created a binding international instrument based upon the Right to Life provision in the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Signatories of the treaty agree to…
The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) has released an updated Russian translation of its National Formulary at the Russian Pharmmedobraschenie Conference in Moscow on October 26, 2011. USP is a nonprofit, scientific organization that develops quality standards for medicines. Its National Formulary publishes standards to support the testing of medicinal products and ingredients. In the US, USP’s…
Ukrainian authorizes announced that of the 1.2 billion packages sold in country in 2010, 2.5 million were fake medications. Most medications were antibiotics and hormone drugs that bore counterfeit labels from well-known drug manufacturers, and almost 50% of the counterfeit medications were purchased from the internet according to Intelvlas, reported Petosevic. Ukrainian authorities say they…
The Philippines Bureau of Food and Drug Administration (BFAD) helpd workshops in Batangas to educate consumers about the risks and prevalence of counterfeit medicines. BFAD is working on a long-term public education campaign to teach people not to purchase medications from unregulated sources. Rowena Tupas of the BFAD said that counterfeit medications are thriving because…
Chinese authorities instituted a major counterfeit medicine raid in Henan province cumulating with 114 people arrested and 65 million bottles of medicine collected, estimated at $30 million. Reports Securing Pharma, raids on 117 locations in Anyang, in northern Henan, revealed manufacturing and sales locations for the fake drugs. Police were first alerted to the ring…
[Via: Carrington College’s Pharmacy Technician training]
A national poll by Consumer Reports National Research Center says that though Americans are suffering from recession, buying medicines at discounted rates from so-called online pharmacies is a bad idea because the risk of counterfeit medicines is so great. Says Consumer Reports (CR), “ordering from foreign websites should be avoided altogether.” CR discovered that…
Lower costs for prescription drugs for seniors on Medicare Part D has lowered online victims of counterfeit medicine as well. National Association of Boards of Pharmacy executive director, Carmen Catizone, told Fox News, “Thankfully, we haven’t seen as many seniors being taken advantage of [by fake online pharmacies] since Medicare Part D began offering more…
Eric Schmidt, Ex-Google CEO, has invested $3.9million to PharmaSecure, a mobile application used to verify medication authenticity using text messaging reported Haute Living.
Fox News conducted a question and answer session with experts in medicine about the real risks and dangers to consumers from counterfeit medicines in the market. With a nod to PSM’s 2010 Interchange, Fox quoted Dr. Margaret Hamburg’s keynote speech at the Interchange: “In some parts of the world, somewhere between 30% and 50% of…
A vaccine, developed by the PATH’s Malaria Vaccine Initiative in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline, providing approximately 50% efficacy against malaria, is the result of 25 years of research, and the bravery of scientists willing to infect themselves with the disease in order to test the vaccine.
Deputy Director Kumar Kibble of the U.s. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security delivered the keynote address. Kibble started his remarks by reminding us that he is personally inspired Dr. Francses Kelsey of the FDA who blocked the use of thalidomide in the US for pregnant women in 1960, while over 10,000 children in other…
Collaboration within the U.S. government, collaboration between governments themselves, and collaboration with the private sector and, all stakeholder groups is essential to the fight against counterfeit and substandard medicines, said U.S. Under Secretary of State Robert D. Hormats during a speech today at the annual Interchange hosted today by the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM).
At the third panel, "Safe Medicines: The Role of Patients & Healthcare Professionals," Jeremiah Mwangi, Policy & External Affairs Director, International Alliance of Patients' Organizations, spoke on the role of patients. Mwangi said that counterfeit drugs are a matter of patient safety, eroding trust in healthcare systems, and creating a public health risk. IAPO has…
The second panelist, Connie Jung from the Office of Drug Security, Integrity and Recall from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration spoke about how to help patients protect themselves from counterfeit drugs. She said that patients first of all need to be aware of the risk of receiving counterfeit medications and potential problems associated with…
Bejon Misra, Founder of Partnership for Safe Medicines India, moderated the third panel, "The Role of Patients & Healthcare Professionals." Misra began the session by showing a video that highlights the work of PSM India. Misra began by distributing tokens of appreciation from the Board of PSM India to the Board of Partnership for…
Maryland Attorney General, Douglas F. Gansler, spoke on Panel 2. Said Gansler, "We all have a blind trust in the drugs we take, the doctor says we'll get better when we take it, and we trust that medication is what it purports to be. "But counterfeit drugs make it not the case. " Said…
Libby Baney, advisor for the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies, spoke as part of Panel 2, “Combating Drug Counterfeiting & Sales.” She moved the crowd in her opening statement with a personal story of her sister’s encounter with counterfeit drugs.
Moderator Scotti Russell, from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, which received the Partnership for Safe Medicines Guardian Award last night, led the "Combating Drug Counterfeiting & Sales" panel. The first speaker, Alex Bamiagis, advisor for the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC) Victoria Espinel while on detail from U.S. Customs and Border Protection…
Travis Johnson, Director of Legislative Affairs and Policy, International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition, spoke on panel one about what industry is doing to fight counterfeiting. He said that the borders are not the only places to look for counterfeit medicines and that law enforcement has to ask "how are people finding the fake drugs?" He…
Alex Dahl, Coalition for Patient Safety and Medicine Integrity, spoke first at the "Protecting Our Medicines" panel about cargo theft, and the stealing of medicines out of the legitimate supply chain. What is the crime problem? Large, sophisiticated criminal organizations are taking methodical stpes to steal medicines from cargo, and then reintroduce them into the…
Sen. Bennet (Colorado) was the first speaker at the Partnership for Safe Medicines 2011 Interchange. His remarks were videotaped and will be available in video format soon on our YouTube channel.
At the Partnership for Safe Medicines pre-conference reception on October 26, 2011, in Washington, DC, PSM President Dr. Marv Shepherd presented the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy with the Partnership for Safe Medicines Guardian Award for heroically contributing to drug safety.
Presenting the award to Elizabeth Scott Russell of NABP (shown in the photo), Dr. Shepherd spoke about NABP’s work protecting consumers from dangerous drugs purchased over the internet. NABP has created three critical developments that have significantly improved consumer education and protection.
Dr. Shepherd cited NABP’s development of the VIPPS® (Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites) accreditation program, which helps consumers find safe sources for purchasing medicine online. NABP keeps a database of verified online pharmacies that are safe for consumers to purchase from on their website at http://vippspharmacies.net/.
Websites unaffiliated with pharmacies that sell medication online prey upon people who depend upon medication for their health, and chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes and cancer. In order to combat these fake pharmacies, NABP and the state boards of pharmacy have instituted a consumer protection program, AWARxE, www.awarerx.org, which provides information to safely obtain medication and news and links on NABP resources.
Alex Dahl will speak on the panel, “Protecting Our Medicines.” He is a member of The Coalition for Patient Safety and Medicine Integrity which is a group of pharmaceutical, medical device and medical products companies focused on patient safety.
Its purpose is to protect patients from the risks posed by stolen and inappropriately handled medical products re-entering the legitimate supply chain. The Coalition includes: Abbott Laboratories, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi Aventis, and PhRMA.
Saving Lives with SMS for Life Photo by ibmphoto24, via Flickr. The Wall Street Journal’s Innovation Award judges recognized two health care IT projects that use cell phone technology to provide access to medication to patients in Africa. Judges chose the SMS for Life Project as the most innovative technology in Health-Care IT…
Washington, D.C. (October 17, 2011) – Addressing the growing public health crisis posed by counterfeit medicines in Brazil requires the coordinated effort of all stakeholders across the country, said Partnership for Safe Medicines Executive Director Scott LaGanga during a forum today in Rio de Janeiro on counterfeit medicines hosted by Interfarma and Brazilian newspaper O…
Kumar C. Kibble will be the keynote speaker for The Partnership for Safe Medicine’s Interchange on October 27, 2011 at the National Press Club.
Kumar C. Kibble is the deputy director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In that capacity, he is the chief operating officer for the principal investigative agency of the Department of Homeland Security, with more than 20,000 employees assigned to more than 400 offices worldwide and an annual budget of almost $6 billion.
The International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations (IAPO) conducted a seminar to build better understanding of patients needs in Pacific-Asia including the risks of counterfeit medications. “Patients should be the local leaders of a whole of society approach to tackling the pressing healthcare challenges of today,” announced IAPO at the seminar in Manilla, Philippines. The IAPO…
Xuanhao Chan, lead technical officer for the International Pharmaceutical Federation, will join panelists on “The role of Patients and Healthcare Professionals” at the Partnership for Safe Medicine Interchange on October 27, 2011.
Chan is a registered pharmacist from Singapore and for the past 6 years, he has been working for the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) in various positions. More recently, in 2008 he established the first branch office for FIP in Geneva managing the Federation’s global public health partnerships and serves as the FIP advocacy focal point with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international health-related agencies in Geneva, Switzerland.
Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers – through medicines and information – for some of the world’s most urgent medical needs. Learn more about…
Bejon Misra, FounderThe Partnership for Safe Medicines India With 80-90% of anti-malarial and anti-retro viral drugs world wide produced in India, Indian officials and manufacturers are combining efforts to crack down on spurious medicine producers that kill 100,000 people in Africa annually . Paul Lavlani, Dean of the Empower School of Health, says that $5bn…
Indianapolis reporter Rafael Sanchez reports that bargain medications purchased online don’t come with a “danger disclaimer.” Reporting for 6News Indianapolis, Sanchez spoke with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy executive director Carmen Catizone, about the risks involved with purchasing medications from unlicensed fake pharmacies online. Said Catizone, “We found rat poison, lead paint, [and]…
Sproxil provides world-class brand protection for emerging markets through software and services that work anywhere there are mobile phones. Delivering automatic protection, simple labels and robust back-end analytics with its Mobile Product AuthenticationTM (MPA) solution, Sproxil offers a comprehensive anti-counterfeiting strategy for cash-based societies, one that enables consumers to text message an item-unique code for…
The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) released a new report this week, A Risky Proposition: How Opening the U.S. to Foreign Medicines Poses a Risk to Chronically Ill Americans, detailing the dangers posed to American patients by opening up the secure and safe U.S. medical supply chain to foreign drugs through importation. We released this latest…
Listening to the thought leaders of safe medicinesat the 2010 Interchange Jeremiah Mwangi, Policy and External Affairs Director of International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations (IAPO), will sit on “The Role of Patients and Healthcare Professionals” panel at 1:45pm at the Partnership for Safe Medicine’s Interchange on October 27, 2011 at the National Press Club in…
The Partnership for Safe Medicines applauded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its week-long effort to curb sales of medicines and medical devices from rogue online operators, dubbed OPERATION PANGEA IV.
Kaho Kwok, PhD at Purdue University, College of Pharmacy has received a $50,000 fellowship from the United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) for the study of Raman spectroscopy used in counterfeit medication analysis.
Congressmen Jim Matheson of Utah and Brian Bilbray of California have re-introduced a bill to improve authorities abilities to address the counterfeit medicine problem.
John Gray, CEO and President of the Healthcare Distribution Management Association, spoke on the critical issues of patient safety and access to safe and efficient medicines.
Coordinating more than 1,200 law enforcement agents, Taiwanese authorities raided 238 locations on September 23-24, 2011. In the raids, 168 suspects were apprehended on allegations of making and selling counterfeit medicine.
Bob Hormats, Under Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and Agricultural Affairs, will be the luncheon speaker at the Partnership for Safe Medicines 2011 Interchange on October 27 at the National Press Club.
United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development of the Russian Federation on September 22, 2011 to establish a process for the organizations to collaborate to improve drug quality internationally. At a signing ceremony in New York, Dr. V. I. Skvortsova, deputy minister of healthcare…
Newfoundland and Labrador police are warning local residents not to purchase medications from unlicensed online vendors. Says Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt Boyd Merrill, “The fake pill industry… has sales in the billions of dollars and people in Newfoundland and Labrador are getting scammed as much as the rest of the world,” reports the CBC…
Deborah Autor, Deputy Commissioner for Global Regulatory Operations and Policy for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will speak at the 2nd annual Partnership for Safe Medicine’s Interchange on October 27, 2011, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Autor leads a Directorate newly created in July 2011 which includes the Office of Regulatory…
”Drug counterfeiting is a major obstacle,” to one-third of the world’s population that would seek essential medicines, said Dr. Paul Orhii at a workshop for health correspondents. Dr. Paul Orhii, Director-General of the Nigerian National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said that 270 million people in Africa lack access to real…
The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) today announced that Timothy K. Mackey, MAS, has been named the 2011-2012 Carl L. Alsberg, MD, Fellow for Safe Medicines. Established in honor of former U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Carl L. Alsberg, MD, the fellowship provides a stipend to support research in drug safety. Mackey is in…
Experts estimate that 80% of cosmetic injections in Shanghai are suspect. At a medical conference in Shanghai, experts warned that cosmetic injections, such as Botox and dermal fillers, as well as skin whitening products, purchased and injected at beauty salons and unlicensed clinics are very likely to be counterfeit. The popularity of cosmetic injections is…
Ukraine has adopted laws that criminalize the manufacture and sale of counterfeit medication. With a passing vote of 72% of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukrainian parliament, the criminal code was amended with an article called “Medicine Counterfeiting or the Traffkcing of Counterfeit Medicine, reported the Kyiv Post. The law penalizes the manufacturers as well as resellers…
Cancer, HIV and hemophilia medicines are among the most counterfeited medical products in Argentina. Counterfeiters have moved from lifestyle drugs to counterfeiting life-saving medicines, putting the health and safety of unsuspecting consumers at risk.
A British resident was sentenced to twelve months imprisonment for the importation and possession of counterfeit medicine in Northampton Crown Court. Victor Cheke, 42, was convicted of importing packages of medicinal products originating from China and India which were intercepted by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) en route to Cheke. Analysis of the drugs revealed…
“Just one unsafe medicine threatens patient safety,” said Mr. Bejon Misra, founder of the Partnership for Safe Medicines India, as he urged stakeholders to work together for a safer supply chain.
Misra addressed the Federation for International Pharmaceuticals (FIP) symposium on counterfeit medicines in Hyderabad, September 6, 2011. He urged all stake holders to work together to educate and help protect patients around the globe.
Misra highlighted the importance of educating consumers to report adverse reactions from medicine in order to report unethical practices and expose the culprits.
France24 investigates the “worldwide ring of counterfeit medications.” According to the video report, e-commerce explosion has accelerated the way counterfeit medicine arrives in Europe. In 2010, the European Commission confiscated 3 million units of fake drugs.
As part of the Department of Justice’s settlement with Google for $500 million for accepting advertising money from unlicensed online pharmacies, the DOJ has agreed to seal from the public evidence of wrong doing by Google executives, including CEO Larry Page. The Justice Department said that the advertisements led to illegal imports of prescription drugs…
As recent stories on 60 Minutes and CNN reported, counterfeit drugs are a growing public health threat in the United States and around the world. The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) and the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care invite you to join us for a free webinar to learn how nurses can help protect…
Edward Dwayne Clark, 44, of Antioch, TN, was arrested on August 22, 2011, and charged with three federal felonies for purchasing counterfeit medicine through the mail and selling them in the Nashville, TN area. The U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee has charged Clark with selling counterfeit medicine with intent to mislead and…
A drug-authentication technology that used to track, trace and authenticate medications in Nigeria and Ghana is being deployed in India. The technology developed by Hewlett-Packard has been previously used by mPedigree in Africa. The service allows pharmaceutical companies to monitor the movement of products through the global supply chain and protects consumers from counterfeit medicines…
Researchers Bryan Liang and Timothy Mackey from the California Western School of Law and the University of California, San Diego, found that 90% of the top-selling medications are advertised by illegal online pharmacies promoting their sales without a prescription on social media websites.
Using the 10 highest grossing drugs of 2009, they found that 90% of these drugs had a non-corporate social media marketing presence by illegal online drug sellers, fake pharmacies marketing the sale of prescription drugs without a prescription and that are not verified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) program.
When they expanded their research to include the top 20 globally marketed medicines 80% of the top 20 products were marketed either by advertising or linking to illegal online drug sellers using social media with pictures and direct links to illicit sellers.
Of those social media sources, Facebook alone accounted for 60% for the top 10 drugs and 50% for the top 20.
A Toronto doctor pleaded guilty to felony charges of smuggling unapproved drugs into the US to treat American professional football and baseball players. Dr. Anthony Galea, 51, faces a maximum sentenced of three years in prison and $500,000 of fines and forfeitures, for providing unapproved medical treatments to professional athletes, including players in the National…
Brothers convicted of selling illicit medication online in the UK sourced their product from America, prosecutors declare in fake pharmacy case. Asaad Hussain and his younger brother, Fraz Hussain, began selling yohimbe in tablet form as “Extensis” a made-up medication in March 2003, and despite a raid by MHRA in 2006, continued to sell it…
Counterfeiters are looking to profit from making fake prescription medicines, and in the process, are putting innocent, unsuspecting lives at risk. A CBS News investigation found that counterfeit medicine is a global problem that could put people who shop online for medicine at risk. According to an FDA official, “The counterfeiters prey on the vulnerability…
A federal grand jury in Louisville, KY, indicted an online pharmacy owner on charges of illegally distributing and dispensing controlled substances, including counterfeit medication, as well as wire fraud, and money laundering. The defendant, after fleeing to Hong Kong, was extradited for arraignment on August 23.
Stacy Allen Taylor, age 44, of Louisville, KY, is accused of illegally dispensing controlled substances to customers via online pharmacies. Taylor, operating in Kentucky, allegedly used website addresses including ww.RXvaluePharm.com to distribute and dispense orders for prescription drugs for a total income of $790,000, announced the Department of Justice.
Taylor is also accused of shipping these medications from India and Hong Kong to customers in the U.S., as well as making transaction payments through a bank in Cyprus in order to avoid detection in the source of the medications.
In one instance, Taylor is accused of dispensing 90 counterfeit Phentermine pills to a resident of Frazeysburg, OH, after the resident completed an online order from with his company. Accuses the indictment, “The order was authorized by Taylor and was filled by Health PMO and associates via the internet. The order was accepted and processed without a valid prescription, interview, or physical examination by a licensed medical professional…Lab results show there was no Phentermine in the product received.”
Taylor is accused of providing customers with prescription medications without requiring prescriptions, and also providing counterfeit medications that were tested and found to contain no active ingredient.
According to a Washington Post editor, the Protect IP Act, introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), could protect American consumers against counterfeit medicines. If passed, the proposal would allow the Justice Department to move against any foreign website that infringes on copyright or trademarks – like the rogue online “pharmacies” that sell harmful fake medicines.…
A Utah Grand Jury returned 26 counts of mail and wire fraud against two Utah residents allegedly involved in a cosmetic surgery business operating without a supervising doctor and selling medications without prescriptions or medical oversight. Potentially sentenced to 30 years imprisonment and $1 million fine for each count of mail fraud, William Ricker Ferguson,…
Ghana’s Food and Drugs Board (FDB) is investigating a link between illicit drug sellers and counterfeit medicine manufacturers. FDB is following up an investigation began by the German Crime Investigations Department, reports Peace FM. Said James Lartey, Head of Communications for the FDB, “So what is happening now is that many of [drug dealers] prefer…
Ten of the fifteen largest online advertising companies have no policy prohibiting unlicensed pharmacy ads The Partnership for Safe Medicines, a non-profit dedicated to curbing counterfeit drugs, today released the following statement regarding news Google will pay a $500 million fine for allowing illegal online pharmacies to advertise to U.S. consumers through its Adwords program:…
Did you know? Criminals convicted of distributing counterfeit medicine to unsuspecting patients in need are often sentenced to only a fraction of the time traditional drug dealers serve. Counterfeit medicines can be extremely dangerous, even fatal, to unsuspecting patients. Authorities have seized counterfeit pills containing floor wax, brick dust and lead-based paint.
1/3 of every online search for prescription drug information is redirected to illicit online drug sellers. Legitimate websites are invaded by hackers who put code into the website that re-directs to a fake online pharmacy. Meanwhile, the legitimate website shows up in the search results, giving the potential customer comfort from a trustworthy brand, who…
In a lengthy article touching upon two key recent reports on drug shortages in the U.S., the International Business Times points to the expanding presence of criminals looking to turn a profit at the expense of customers’ wallets and possibly patients’ safety.
The Caribbean Association of Pharmacists is raising the concern that counterfeit medicines are being trafficked throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Reports CARIBARENA Antigua, Algernon Roberts, President of the Antigua Pharmaceutical Society says that counterfeit drug trafficking is treated more leniently and is easier to accomplish than illicit drug trafficking. “Trafficking in counterfeit drugs is…
In a swell of 1,000 pounds of fake, illegal substances intercepted this year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized a package of counterfeit medicine containing 8,000 pills falsely identified as “harmless generic medicine.” Reports the Business Courier, officers inspected the package from India and found it contained counterfeit medication with the active ingredient tadalafil, which…
The World Health Organization estimates that 50% of medicines sold over the internet from sites that conceal their physical address are counterfeit. Parents, these 10 tips will help you protect your children from these potentially dangerous products.
Isabella Martire, MD, of Laurel, MD, an oncologist, pleaded guilty to introducing an unapproved drug to interstate commerce on August 8th, 2011, after purchasing nearly 200,000 doses of medication meant for distribution in Turkey, and not approved for use in the United States. In 2010, federal agents began investigating an English pharmaceutical wholesaler that was…
Drug shortages are driving desperate pharmacy managers to purchase from parallel importation sources that suspiciously have drugs that the manufacturers don’t – are they selling fake medication, stolen, or mishandled, or is it real? 360 drug shortages are predicted for 2011, reports Premier healthcare alliance, in a whitepaper dated August 2011, with the majority of…
State Dept., FDA, and ICE Among Speakers at Oct. 27th Event Washington, D.C. (August 18, 2011) – The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) today unveiled the initial speakers confirmed for this year’s annual Interchange conference. Among those confirmed to participate in the October 27th event are high level representatives from the U.S. Department of State, the…
What percentage of U.S. children and teens are currently taking medicine on a regular basis? What is the most widely prescribed medicine for children? How many online pharmacies are in operation? How pervasive is the counterfeit medicine problem globally and why is the problem so much worse outside the U.S.? Parents, these answers may surprise you, and they could have implications for your own children. Counterfeit medicine is becoming increasingly prevalent around the world, and many criminals are using fake online pharmacies to distribute potentially dangerous products. Take the quiz and learn more.
Parents News Now highlights PSM’s new report: “A Risky Proposition,” that examined how opening U.S. markets to drug importation could exacerbate the problem of fake online pharmacies selling counterfeit medicines to kids.
A new report from Carnegie Mellon University echoes the findings of the recent NABP report on online pharmacies. A growing number of illegal online pharmacies are flooding the Web trying to sell dangerous unauthorized prescriptions, according to a new report from cybersecurity experts at CMU.
It’s hard to believe, but in fact it’s true: counterfeit medicine has been found to include boric acid, highway paint, antifreeze and lead. Click here to check out our infographic on the dangers of online pharmacies and a recent report by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.
A British couple pleaded guilty to being the ringleaders in a black market prescription-only medicine business that imported veterinary medicine to Britain through illegal channels. Serving over 4,000 customers, the products were distributed to British farms, stables, kennels and vet surgeries. Concerns were raised over harmful residues in the food chain and unnecessary antibiotic resistance.
“Counterfeiters do not take the patient’s age, weight, or development into consideration when selling fake or sub-standard forms. Moreover, they are not interested in whether the child is taking other medications or if the combination of them will result in an adverse reaction.”
Interpol and “The Dangers of Counterfeit Medical Products” states, “In some cases, fake medicines have been found to contain highly toxic substances such as rat poison.
A Colorado Springs veterinarian tells the story of a friend whose dogs became ill after she gave them heartworm prevention medicine she ordered online.
By Dr. Marv Shepherd President, Partnership for Safe Medicines More than ever, American consumers are turning to the Internet to purchase goods at discounted rates. However, the online search for deals has taken a dangerous turn, as consumers look for cheap prescription medicines online at what appear to be legitimate pharmacies. Unfortunately, many people are…