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.
In North America, there were 199 reported incidents of counterfeit medicines in 2009, greater than Africa, the Near East, and Eurasia.
As the World Health Organization and its partners are spending $175 million to block the spread of artemisinin-resistant malaria along the border of Cambodia and Thailand by providing free care, free medication, and a pervasive police force hunting down fake drugs military troops from both countries are exchanging gunfire
U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is providing five sub-Saharan African countries with technical aid to improve the public access to high quality, affordable medicines, announced the organization on February 8th, 2011. USP has launched a pilot Technical Assistance Program (TAP) to provide developing countries with capacity building in medicine quality evaluation. Participating countries will be provided…
Five companies have been issued patents for anti-counterfeiting technology ranging from packaging innovation to spectroscopy. Securing Pharma reports that Microsoft, AlpVision, Axsun, AuthentiForm, and CSEM have been issued patents for anti-counterfeiting medicine technologies. Microsoft has developed a method to create counterfeit resistant labels using unique images on labels that are not economically easy to duplicate,…
An online pharmacy operator, convicted in May 2009 for distributing approximately 44 million doses of prescription medication to consumers without valid prescriptions, has forfeited $12 million in profit. Approximately $2.67 million went to the local law enforcement agencies that prosecuted him, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
Jude LaCour and his father Jeffery LaCour, ran an online pharmacy under the corporation name, “Jive Network, Inc.” which distributed controlled substances and other prescription drugs to customers throughout the United States who did not have valid prescriptions, reported Network World.
LaCour, a Daytona Beach resident, was found guilty of 52 counts of money laundering and drug-trafficking offenses involving the sale of controlled substances over the internet.
Indian Customs Official seized 14,000 misoprostol tables from a Mumbai resident who arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport from Singapore on January 31, 2011. Officers apprehended the suspect, Yusuf Masalawala, 54, while evading customs by going through the “green channel,” which indicates no customs declaration. Customs officials said that no medicine conveyed without declaration is allowed…
The United States Attorney’s Office has indicted eleven Dominicans involved in a criminal conspiracy to threaten and extort money from American internet pharmacy customers by impersonating government agents. Investigators received over 1,000 complaints from American victims who paid imposters hundreds of thousands of dollars as so-called “fines” to prevent prosecution for purchasing drugs without a…
Sixty one patients who suffered complications due to the use of counterfeit cancer drugs, have been identified as plaintiffs in a Shanghai fake drug case, implicating 18 possible defendants. On February 2, 2011, the People’s Republic of China Shanghai Information Office announced that 116 patients, prescribed Avastin, a cancer drug also used to treat macular…
The Argentinian Federal Police’s Technical Criminal Investigation division conducted 11 raids in the ongoing counterfeit medicine mafia investigation, including a large raid at the Posadas Hospital, in the greater Buenos Aires district of Haedo. Six people were arrested. Among those arrested were a former policeman linked to trafficking in ephedrine, while all have been implicated…
On January 29, 2011, two Chinese nationals pled guilty to trafficking in over-the-counter weight-loss medications, including manufacture and distribution, in the United States, announced the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office (ICE), culminating a two year undercover investigation.
According to court documents, between December 2008 and March 2009, the FDA issued a series of alerts concerning tainted weight loss pills and counterfeit versions of the brand-name drug “Alli,” a popular over-the-counter weight-loss drug, indicating that these fake drugs were also being imported into the United States from China and that they did not contain the proper active pharmaceutical ingredient for the authentic product, but instead contained dangerous levels of Sibutramine. The counterfeit versions of Alli were being sold in the United States, among other ways, through internet websites, including online auction websites such as eBay. The FDA stated in these initial alerts that the items posed a very serious health risk to consumers, because, based on analysis, they were found to be drugs that contained undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients, including Sibutramine (a non-narcotic controlled substance), reports the ICE.
The World Health Organization’s international plea to contain artemisinin resistance is being heeded by Ghana’s government as it clamps down on fake malaria drug hawkers and increasing vigilance for first signs of the deadly disease. Dr. Felicia Owusu-Antwi, Country Advisor on Malaria for the WHO Ghana office said that while Ghana has no documented evidence…
A three year investigation into the international distribution of fake drugs led to the arrest of a 32 year old Chinese man residing in Wellington, NZ suspected of marketing counterfeit medicine using the internet. Auckland Metro Crime and Operations Support, a New Zealand police agency, announced they arrested the unnamed man and remanded him on…
Indian police in Patna have recovered 1,600 bottles of fake cough syrup from a parcel van in cross country transit.
A Philadelphia resident pleaded guilty to an 18 count indictment for the illegal importation and distribution of four million fake diet pills that contained unapproved drugs and carcinogens.
The Kurdistan Ministry of Health announced that they will ban medical clinics that sell “cheap and unregistered medicines,” reported Dr. Khalis Qadir Ahma, spokesman for the Ministry. In December 2010, the government confiscated counterfeit 20 products from several Kurdish companies based upon quality control testing. “We do not know where those counterfeits are coming from,…
Nigeria has reported a drop in counterfeit medicines from 40% to 5% as a result of a combined effort between local and international law enforcement, as well as increased surveillance and the use of new anti-counterfeiting technology.
View larger image A Chinese man living in New Zealand has been arrested following a three-year long police inquiry into the international distribution of counterfeit drugs. Who: Auckland Metro Crime and Operations Support (AMCOS) and various United States agencies, including the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), Homeland Security Investigations and the Food and Drug Administration’s…
The Indian Criminal Investigation Department has arrested owners of five pharmacies charged with commerce in spurious pain relievers
A Belgian citizen, Manuel Calvelo, has pleaded guilty to operating an internet pharmacy that sold $1.4 million worth of misbranded and counterfeit drugs as well as controlled substances in U.S. District Court in Kansas on January 21st, 2011, while a co-conspirator, Jeffrey Westmoreland of Canada, is fugitive. After extradition from Costa Rica, Calvelo was charged…
Bahawalpur police and health officials are investigating a local pharmacy that has been allegedly selling fake injections and fake antibiotics.
USAID raised the counterfeit drug alarm to Congress in a report including data on pervasive
fake anti-malarials and the success of medicine quality control assistance to 20 nations. USAID is
successfully fighting the impact of substandard medicines in developing countries through drug
authenticity training and technical assistance.
“Unfortunately, many developing countries lack the capacity to protect their citizens in this way, much less to protect them from unscrupulous drug manufacturers and vendors. What should be a matter of trust is more like a tragic game of chance with devastating odds,” said Dr. Maria A. Miralles, USAID’s
Senior Pharmaceutical Management Advisor.
To this end, USAID has also been supporting the development of a tool to enable regulatory authorities to evaluate their quality assurance systems in more than 20 nations, leading to recalls of substandard and counterfeit medicines and closure of illicit pharmacies.
In Beijing, the State Food and Drug Administration announced the impounding of 60 tons of fake medical equipment, and the ongoing investigation of seven cases of counterfeit drug production and sale.
The World Health Organization is screening all residents of 20 villages in northwest Cambodia where drug-resistant malaria has evolved in part due to the victims exposure to counterfeit anti-malarial medications.
Ho Chi Minh City police have arrested 14 people who are allegedly members of a fake medicine production ring that police have been following for over a year.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade announced new rules requiring medicine manufacturers to put barcodes on all products made for export in order to control for counterfeiting.
A U.S. web hosting provider admitted that hackers have invaded dozens of web pages
of government, educational and financial sites through a software flaw to promote online rogue
pharmacies.
Brian Krebs, an investigative journalist, reported that a customer of a Utah based web site host provider exploited a bug in a web site
administration tool used by a majority of hosting providers to ultimately
redirect visitors from these institutional websites to online stores selling prescription drugs without
prescription requirements.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has shut down numerous pharmacies selling fake drugs in Benue state.
A new study shows online rogue pharmacies using North American and Western European web hosting while fulfilling orders from other regions of the world.
Police questioned Kashmiri hospital employees after an infant allegedly died from an injection with expired medication.
A Northeast Florida pharmacist has been charged with the theft of 7,000 prescription painkiller pills from a Rite Aid drug store that are still missing.
Three people are suspected of stealing mail packages, some of which including medicine deliveries from Gwinnett County, Georgia homes.
Argentinian authorities are continuing their two year investigation into the fake drug syndicate that infiltrated the Argentinian workers’ unions.
Anti-counterfeiting specialists believe that medicine counterfeiting will increase in 2011. Pharma IQ conducted a survey in October 2000 of 1000 medicine anti-counterfeiting experts. More than 60% stated that the threat of fake drugs will increase in 2011. Experts are concerned about the rate of growth in emerging markets in Asia as well as internet sales…
Nigerian police intercepted a pharmacist storing fake medicines in plastic buckets, including ones that had not been legitimately produced in more than nine years.
Filipino lawmakers are seeking strong anti-counterfeiting legislation after a national report announced that one of every ten drugs is fake.
Law enforcement is investigating what appears to be theft and substitution of medicine mailed by a Veterans Administration pharmacy to a Petersburg, Virginia patient.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned the public that criminals are posing as law enforcement agents to extort money from people who purchased medication online.
Criminals are calling victims and identifying themselves as FDA or other law enforcement officials. The imposters inform the victims that purchasing drugs over the Internet or the telephone is illegal and that they will be prosecuted for this crime unless they pay a fine ranging from $100 to $250,000.
In addition, victims also have suffered from unauthorized purchases on their credit cards.
In October, spam began to decline worldwide, according to experts that follow spam, after the closure of Spamit, a Russian affiliate program that paid spammers to promote “Canadian Pharmacy” brand rogue pharmacies.
Following Gujarat’s example, the Maharashta Food and Drug Administration (Maha FDA) launched an online licensing process for retail pharmacists, the first of its kind in the state.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate announced that in April 2012 that the sales of veterinary medicines over the internet will be more tightly controlled in Britain.
Dr. Paul Orhii, Director General of the Food and Drug Administration and Control for Nigeria, (NAFDAC), described 2010 as “very remarkable and busy” in the fight against fake drugs.
Nigerian police have arrested two men for stealing money and medicine from a pharmaceutical company in Lagos. The two men allegedly broke into Remson Investment Nigeria Limited in Lagos and stole N470,500 in cash and approximately N600,000 (US$4,000) in pharmaceutical products. The police have arrested Bishop Godsent, 34, as the recipient of the stolen drugs…
Bangkok police are focusing on deadly counterfeit items, like fake drugs, in 2011.
This is a reprint of the FDA Alert. December 30, 2010 – The Ritedose Corporation is conducting a voluntary recall of 0.083% Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution, 3 mL (in 25, 30, and 60 unit dose vials). This product is a prescription inhalation solution, administered via nebulization, for the treatment and maintenance of acute asthma exacerbations…
This is a reprint of the FDA alert. PRock Marketing, LLC located in Central Florida an authorized US distributor of the Authentic Formula Fruta Planta has been informed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the weight loss dietary supplements sold and marketed contains an undeclared drug ingredient. The FDA lab analysist of the…
The Madras High Court upheld the detention of 13 people allegedly involved in selling spurious drugs, some fake and some expired, under the Goondas Act. In Chennai, India, the Madras High Court, one of the three high courts of India, justices heard a petition from 13 defendants accused of re-selling expired medicines. The Goondas Act…
Armed robbers who stole three delivery trucks filled with pharmaceuticals were thwarted by tracking devices embedded within the cargo.
Moroccan health officials are working with the fraud prevention departments within the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Internal Affairs to increase drug store inspections. The Health Minister, Yasmina Baddou, told parliament on November 24th that the inter-ministry cooperation will try to stop drugs being sold outside the legal market and to raise public awareness…
The Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department has promised to crack down on fake drug sellers and publicly publish the name of pharmacies and retails who are caught with them. Thomas Lin Shun-yin, head of investigations for the Department of Intellectual Property said that while the number of raw number of fake drugs seized in…
On December 23, 2010, officials from the Nigerian National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) closed down a pharmacy in Abeokuta, the largest city and capital of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria, after identifying counterfeit medicines with a handheld machine. During an unannounced and random check on pharmacies and medicine stores…
Mobile phone based anti-counterfeiting technology initiatives have been announced in Ghana, Nigeria and India.
The Cambodian Ministry of Health reported a 92% decrease in the number of illegal pharmacies nationwide and a 71% fewer unlicensed health clinics over the past year, on December 22, 2010.
The European Union ambassadors approved an agreement to regulate medicines sold over the internet. The agreement will create regulation intended to protect legal suppliers of medicine.
These alerts are reprinted from the FDA. RockHard Weekend, Pandora: Recall – Undeclared Drug Ingredient ISSUE: FDA notified the public that testing determined that certain lots of thesde products contain an analogue of sildenafil, an FDA-approved drug used as treatment for male Erectile Dysfunction (ED). The active drug ingredient is not listed on the label…
This is a reprint of the FDA alert. December 22, 2010 – Pfizer has announced that it intends to recall one lot—approximately 19,000 bottles—of Lipitor 40 mg tablets (atorvastatin calcium) distributed in the U.S. The recall stems from one customer report of an uncharacteristic odor related to the bottles in which these lots of Lipitor…
Kenyan Ministry of Medical Services has impounded two shipments of fake drugs destined for Nairobi that had been transported from Dubai into Eldoret International Airport.
1.2 million vials of substandard drugs have been impounded in Tanzania by the Food and Drug Authority (TFDA).
An Illinois man has been charged with unlawful possession of 20,000 counterfeit Valium and 20,000 counterfeit Xanax. Computer business owner, Amin Rupani, has been charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance, reports the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, after a joint investigation into his activities by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Customs and…
Cambodian police and malaria experts announced they are combining efforts to effectively combat malaria as well as curb the sale and smuggling of counterfeit and substandard drugs. “The Ministry of Health has done a lot of work, but it would not be able to do anything without the cooperation of the police,” explained General Ben…
A medicine delivery driver was abducted and robbed at gunpoint while delivering medications to pharmacies in West Baltimore on December 13th. At a routine delivery stop at 9 a.m. in the 2000 block of W. Pratt St., outside the tiny Westside Pharmacy and Wellness Center, in West Baltimore, MD, three thieves forced the driver, at…
The Doctors, the internationally syndicated talk show that features four doctors discussing health issues, joined with Consumer Correspondent Susan Koeppen from The CBS Early Show to explain counterfeit medications to consumers.
The need for anti-counterfeiting technology is expected to increase as counterfeit drugs are spreading worldwide. The ARC Advisory Group published a study, “Anti-Counterfeiting and Brand Protection Worldwide Outlook,” forecasting the next five years of demand for anti-counterfeiting software and services. Given the increase in drug counterfeiting worldwide, with more sophisticated counterfeiters and increased internet sales,…
The European Parliament and the Council are negotiating a directive on counterfeit medicines intended to strengthen law enforcement. The agreement’s provisions are not yet public, but it is reported that sanctions and unified safety-mechanisms were on the table. In addition, the directive proposes the requirement of anti-counterfeiting technologies, like packaging serial numbers or seals upon…
Seoul Police arrested pharmacists on suspicion of selling fake pills that could cause heart attack. The Korea Times reported that the Seoul metropolitan Police Agency fifteen pharmacists for allegedly selling fake erectile dysfunction drugs with known side effects of heart attack. The police reported that each pill was purchased for 2,000 won ($1.75) and resold…
Japan’s Patent Office (JPO) announced an “Anti-Counterfeiting Campaign” on December 10, in cooperation with the Intellectual Property Policy Headquarters and related ministries to raise public awareness of the risk of counterfeit products.
The Partnership for Safe Medicines has launched a Safe Medicines YouTube Channel. The Safe Medicines Channel, 23 videos encompassing the entire Safe Medicines Interchange conference on October 8th, 2010, are available for those that missed the conference speakers.
Last year 73% of fake medicines seized at European borders were routed through the United Arab Emirates, says the European Commission.
Victoria Espinel, the White House intellectual property enforcement coordinator, announced on December 13, 2010, that major American internet companies are helping to establish a non-profit organization targeting illegal Internet pharmacies in support of White House efforts.
Attorney General Eric Holder spoke at a White House forum on consumer health and safety risks related to counterfeit goods in Washington, DC on December 14, 2010. After addressing and thanking the organizers, he said, “All of us must do more to ensure the health and safety of our citizens, to protect intellectual property rights,…
This is a reprint of the FDA alert. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to use Man Up Now capsules, marketed as a dietary supplement for sexual enhancement, because they contain a variation of an active drug ingredient found in Viagra that can dangerously lower blood pressure. Man Up Now claims…
A new optically read microtag can be applied directly to the surface of a pill to verify drug authenticity, adding to new technologies to fight drug counterfeiting.
The Global Fund to Fight Aids is inviting agencies in developing countries to pursue and stem drug thefts, by joining to together to share information ,as well as procurement and distribution capacities.
Concluding an investigation begun in 2009, a Bonita man plead guilty today of 13 felony charges including unlawfully practicing medicine without a license and unlawfully selling or delivering misbranded drugs with intent to defraud or mislead.
The Fondation Chirac held a roundtable on counterfeit medications at the two day conference, European Development Days (EDD) in Brussels on December 7th, entitled “How to Fight False Medicines.”
The panelists discussed cooperative measures to strengthen countries administrative capacities, build better health care facilities and raise awareness that fake drugs are dangerous to their countries’ peoples.
Said African entrepreneur and philanthropist Mo Ibrahim, “This is worse than drugs. People who buy heroin or cocaine, at least they know what they are buying, they are exercising their decision-making. But someone who has a heart or a kidney condition who buys fake medicine – this is an attempt at murder.”
Dr. Paul Orhii, Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control of Nigeria (NAFDAC) exhorted strong international collaboration of drug regulatory agencies to fight counterfeit drug crime at the 14th International Conference of Drug Regulatory Authorities in Singapore on December 8th, 2010.
On December 7, the State Food and Drug Administration announced that six defendants were found guilty of selling fake medicines and sentenced to 1 to 3 years imprisonment with fines.
On Tuesday December 7, the Bangladeshi Rapid Action Battalion shut down and sealed two counterfeit medications factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) India, a group of nonprofit organizations and individuals dedicated to protecting consumers from spurious drugs, today announced the availability of a 24-hour helpline (1800-11-4424) to assist, educate and empower consumers across India.
In northwest Cambodia’s Pailin province, on the border with Thailand, counterfeit drug surveillance has taken on a personal meaning as local malaria has evolved artemisinin resistance by sending police door-to-door to local pharmacies and confiscating counterfeit anti-malarials as well as spreading the word of free treatment.
Southern Sudan is revamping its pharmaceutical supply chain, building laboratories and monitoring units to prevent smuggling of fake drugs as it recovers from 21 years of civil war. According to Manyang Agoth, Director-General of the Pharmaceutical Services at the Southern Sudan’s Ministry of Health, the drug supply system collapsed during the civil war as “then-existing…
The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) issued a warning to the public against fake drugs and vitamin supplements that they believe have proliferated the country’s markets. Counterfeit drugs may contain harmful ingredients or lack the necessary ingredients and have low concentration of active ingredients that may impact efficacy, said DOH Regional Director Myrna Cabotaje in…
Russian citizen Oleg Nikolaenko used Mega-D, a spam botnet, to make approximately $500,000 in six months in 2007 while infecting a network of computers to use to send out junk emails hawking fake drugs. Given his access to money, and lack of ties in the U.S. he’s been denied bail by a Federal Judge. Nikolaenko…
The Caribbean island of Dominica has issued a warning to residents to be on the alert for fake drugs.
Five British residents have been accused of importing into the UK fake cancer drugs, fake heart disease medicine, and fake schizophrenia medication from China worth millions of pounds.
The Partnership for SafeMedicines (PSM), a group of nonprofit organizations and individuals dedicated to protecting consumers from counterfeit drugs, today announced a major expansion of its international coalition with the launch of its partner PSM India.
FBI agents arrested Oleg Nikolaenko as the alleged mastermind behind the Mega-D botnet, that promoted counterfeit materials online, and was used, to “deceptively [market] and [sell] counterfeit herbal ‘male enhancement’ pills and generic prescription drugs that were falsely advertised as FDA-approved.”
Consumer advocates, industry leaders and government officials are congregating on Tuesday December 7th to discuss the problems of counterfeit drugs. After opening remarks by industry and government officials, technical sessions on patient safety, healthcare delivery, regulatory mechanisms and technological safeguards will be conducted. The final session of the day will be a panel discussion on the development of greater access to safe medicines in India.
Kenyan consumers can now use a pilot text messaging program to verify legitimate drugs and weed out fake drugs, as mobile phones become integrated into healthcare in Africa.
In Argentina, 40 raids were conducted as part of continuing investigations into counterfeit and illegal drug distribution by organized crime.
The National Bureau of Investigation of the Philippines seized more than P25 million worth of fake drugs allegedy imported form India, Pakistan and Singapore and arrested a person involved in the distribution and sales of the confiscated medications. Agent Terrence Agustin, of the NBI Intellectual Property Rights Division (IPRD) informed reporters that Renante Dumasig, 35,…
WSBTV, Channel 2, an Atlanta, Georgia, television station found that bargain drugs ordered online, supposedly from Canada, are often bogus and manufactured in China or South America.
Singapore's Minister for Health, Mr. Khaw Boon Wan, emphasized the importance of improving the "safety, efficacy and quality of medicines worldwide" for the International Conference of Drug Regulatory Authorities (ICDRA) at the World Health Organization's 14th International Conference on November 30th. The International Conference of Drug Regulatory Authorities meets biannually to discuss disease demographics and…
Consumers can protect themselves from fake drugs by following some simple steps to insure their prescriptions come from reliable pharmacies including verifying their pharmacy's legitmacy, submitting a doctor's prescription and being aware of practices that may signify frauds. According to AOL Money & Finance's Daily Finance report, consumers need to educate themselves about the characteristics…
China’s Commerce Department announced an increase in enforcement over counterfeit products in China, including medicines, said Jiang Zengwei at a news conference, as he promised closer cooperation with the United States, Japan and Europe. According to the Associated Press reporting in the Washington Post, trade groups say Chinese goods piracy is growing despite repeated attempts…
Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit is working to develop capacity to fight fake drugs. According to The Times of India, Dikshit said the Delhi government is strengthening the state drug control department based upon recommendations made by Mashelkar Committee in a seminar entitled “Measures to Combat Counterfeit Drugs.” “I am concerned about the health of…
Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York dropped charges against Marla Ahlgrimm on November 5th without explanation. Ms. Ahlgrimm, a registered pharmacist, had been charged with counterfeit drug distribution along with a a Middleton, Wisconsin resident, Balbir Bhogal in September, reports the Associated Press in the Chicago Tribune. Ms. Ahlgrimm is a prominent…
The U. S. Pharmacopeia (USP) is building a database of fake medications to support and share with regulators and non-governmental organizations targeted to launch in 2011. The database will provide regulators with the ability to monitor fake and substandard drug trends and better support enforcement actions. Patrick Lukulay, director of the Promoting the Quality of…
Ethiopia is training new staff and building capacity to better evaluate the safety of drugs within its country’s borders by using laboratory quality management systems and learning to test for authenticity. In order to ensure the quality of the country’s essential medicines, Promoting the Quality of Medicines, a USAID program, has been working with the…
On November 18, after a year-long law enforcement partnership between federal, state and local officials, approximately 30 federal search warrants were issued in Mississippi in search of counterfeit pharmaceuticals. A team of nearly 100 law enforcement agents participated in the operation, according to a press release from the Mississippi’s Attorney General’s Office. The operations involved…
The Chinese agency in charge of the fight against counterfeit drugs has announced a new initiative to crack down on the trafficking of illegal medications over the internet, according to the Global Times. The State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) announced it new campaign at a press conference in Beijing. Wang Lifeng, the director of the…