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.
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…
A Chinese citizen in the US was recently sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison in Texas for selling counterfeit drugs. United States Attorney José Angel Moreno recently announced that Kum Leung Chow, who was also known as Lawrence Chow, will be sent to federal prison for "conspiring to distribute counterfeit pharmaceuticals…
In a newly published report on antimalarial drug efficacy and resistance, The World Health Organization (WHO) raised the alarm about a new strain of artemisinin resistant malaria in South East Asia. Scientists believe that fake and substandard malarial medications are a major factor in the development of new drug-resistant strains of malaria. WHO’s containment plan will provide free medication and care for those affected in order to prevent them from relying on counterfeit and substandard malarial medications.
“Efforts have also been made to stop the sale of counterfeit and substandard drugs, which are a major factor in the development of resistance,” states the report.
This is a reprint of the FDA’s Alert. Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA), and other law enforcement officials, to recover cases of specified lots of recently stolen pharmaceutical products. The specified lots were being transported in a tractor-trailer stolen in Florence, Kentucky, on Interstate…
A group of doctors, pharmacists, drug regulators and distributors, called Samahan Laban sa Pekeng Gamot (Samahan), are spreading the warning that ten percent of all medicines in the Philippines are fake. Dr. Maria Minerva Calimag, Samahan spokesman and chair of the Cosmetics Committee of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), said "Consumers unwittingly buy from…
The governor of a state in Nigeria has expressed his support for the country's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control's (NAFDAC) fight against counterfeit drugs. Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam said that counterfeit drugs are a major concern in the country, particularly in its rural areas, according to the Vanguard. Suswam expressed his…
The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) has warned consumers of the growing market for counterfeit animal medications sold in online pharmacies. "Not only is this a risky practice as there is no guarantee you're going to get what you're paying for, you might also be breaking the law by buying these drugs online and importing them…
Osteopath Kelly Dean Shrum was found guilty by a jury of one count of misdemeanor Misbranding in violation of the Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act and one count of Health Care Fraud. He was originally indicted on one count each of misbranding and health care fraud and three counts of money laundering for using imported…
A Ghanaian tech company has won the Global Security Challenge with their proposals for systems designed to combat counterfeit drugs throughout West Africa. The prize was awarded at the Global Security Challenge Summit, a meeting held at the University of London that marks the final round of an annual international competition. The challenge seeks to…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that it will help fund a new project by the World Health Organization that seeks to develop a “global surveillance and monitoring system for combating counterfeit medicines and breaches in the supply chain,” according to a government release. Other aims of the funding include the development of “consistent…
Three people have been hit with charges related to the burglary of a pharmacy in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, according to the Scranton Times-Tribune. Reddon’s Pharmacy was robbed on October 29 by Darryl Chaffee, 36, and Jerrod Decker, 24, who stole up to $100,000 worth of prescription medications. Chaffee and Decker have been charged with felony theft,…
Malaysia’s Drug Control Agency (DCA) has banned the sale, possession, distribution and consumption of two unregulated traditional products found to contain controlled drugs, reports Malaysian national news agency Bernama. DCA analysis of the two products revealed the presence of regulated substances that may only be legally obtained with a prescription.
A truckload of pharmaceuticals was stolen from a rest area in Florence, Kentucky on November 11 with an estimated value of several million dollars. Securingpharma.com reports that the products included the antihypertensives, anticoagulants, aripiprazole for schizophrenia, HIV drugs and an antiplatelet medication. The plain white truck was left unattended for 15 minutes on the edge…
A new study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) has revealed that the prevalence of ineffective or counterfeit drugs is dangerously high in Africa, particularly in the western part of the continent. In particular, the study examined common medications used for the treatment of malaria and tuberculosis. The…
Police in four countries in Europe have conducted searches as part of an investigation of counterfeit cancer drugs allegedly being smuggled illegally into the European Union, according to the Cyprus Mail.
The simultaneous searches were orchestrated by the German Federal Police and were carried out by local agents in Germany, Switzerland, Norway, and Cyprus.
The Sindh High Court (SHC) in Karachi, Pakistan, has rejected the bail application of two men who allegedly trafficked in counterfeit medications, according to the Daily Times. The SHC division bench consisting of Justice Gulzar Ahmad and Justuce Imam Bukhsh Balouch decided against issuing bail after hearing arguments from the prosecution against the two defendants, Muhammad…
CBS Evening News reported that cargo thefts from trucks and warehouse are on the rise. In 2009, there were 864 reported cargo thefts, more than two per day, and frequency is projected to rise for 2010. The FDA is particularly concerned about prescription drug thefts, calling them “crime that threatens public health,” in a letter…
Awareness of the problem of counterfeit drugs is on the rise in East Africa, according to Tanzania’s The Citizen. Starting in 2008, Interpol and the World Health Organization have collaborated on the International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force (IMPACT), a series of anti-counterfeiting raids in Tanzania and Uganda. The news source reports that approximately 20 percent…
One of Ghana’s ministries recently held a workshop regarding the possibility of bodies of water being contaminated by counterfeit drugs. The Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology held the workshop, titled “Drugs and the Environment: The Development Country Perspective,” as part of the 10th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Pharmacovigilance (ISoP), according to…
The Russian man accused of running a website responsible for a large percentage of the world’s online pharmacy spam has claimed his innocence, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Igor Gusev, 31, is the subject of an ongoing investigation by Russian authorities who believe he was responsible for paying spammers to advertise online pharmacies that sold erectile…
A Zambian pharmacist has called on the government to empower the agency in charge of issues relating to counterfeit drugs in the country, reports the Zambia Post. “The Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency needs to be equipped properly. It is a professional body that works very hard to check on the quality of medicines the Zambian patients consume.…
Online pharmaceutical spam organization, Spamit.com, has been implicated in the use of Bredolab, a botnet that hijacked personal computers to use to spread spam. KrebsOnSecurity reported that Georg Avanesov, age 27, was arrested by Armenian police on suspicion of being the curator of Bredolab, a botnet that has infected approximately 3 million computers a month.…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has sent a warning letter to an online pharmacy accused of selling controlled and unapproved substances in violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), according to a press release. The pharmacy, Rx-promotion, reportedly operates nearly 300 internet domain names, through which it sells and dispenses medications with…
Three new studies highlight the hopes and fears of parents across the globe.
A new study conducted by Dr. Nicholas White of Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand shows a significant reduction in mortality and gives hope for children with severe malaria.
Meanwhile a study from the U.S. Agency for International Development details the pervasive infiltration of ineffective counterfeit malarial drugs.
And another study by researchers of malaria in Indonesia has found a new genetic mutation in the disease.
In Chennai, India, the Madras high court rules that malaria testing kits are pharmaceutical products, subject to the Drugs and Cosmetics Acts. It has ordered a detailed probe into the sale of fake malaria detection kits to city hospitals, and has asked the central and state governments to launch a campaign to spread awareness about…
The recent raid in Lagos that saw the closure of more than 1,000 counterfeit drug shops, has spurred Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to reactivate the Federal Task Force on fake and counterfeit drugs. Director General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, made the announcement in a recent speech delivered…
The fight against counterfeit drugs affects every country and that is why it is important that nations work together to stop the deadly scourge. This fact is not lost on Nigeria, which is working with India to ensure that all medicines brought into the African nation are authentic. According to AllAfrica.com, most of the pharmaceutical products…
Ghanaian religious leaders committed to decreasing child mortality rates decried counterfeit drug purveyors at the 8th Annual National Catholic Health Services Conference (NCHS). The 8th NCHS Annual Conference was held at the Catholic Guest House, Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region of Ghana from October 26 to 29, 2010. The theme was “Monitoring for Continuous…
The government in Taiwan is currently cracking down on a rapid proliferation in the trade of fake drugs, the China Post reports. Taiwanese Health Minister Yang Chih-liang said during a press conference that counterfeit drugs posed a more serious problem than drug trafficking. The government has been strongly cracking down on counterfeit drugs since March,…
A number of health professionals in Kenya say diseases are becoming more resistant to treatments because of the prevalence of counterfeit drugs in the country. Pharmacists in the African nation said that a campaign should be started to warn consumers that the use of counterfeit drugs can lead to more resilient strands of certain diseases,…
A Grand Forks, North Dakota doctor has pled guilty on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. His counsel says that he client didn’t know he was breaking the law and even paid taxes on his earnings. Authorities say Enrique Rivera Mass, 56, illegally signed off on prescriptions for nearly 1.8 million pills…
The beginning of a criminal investigation by Russian authorities in Moscow of a prominent spammer has resulted in a significant reduction in the amount of spam advertising from illegal online pharmacies, reports the New York Times. The center of the investigation, Igor A. Gusev, has been linked to the website “SpamIt”, an organization that provides…
A new study from Cambridge Consultants details some of the challenges facing developers of anti-counterfeiting technology, according to a new white paper written in coordination with the BIO 2010 conference in Chicago. Summarizing a panel discussion between Lew Kontnik, Director of Brand Protection for Amgen, David Kent, Vice President of Global Risk at Genzyme, Andrew Emmett, director for…
The Food and Drug Administration Office of Regulatory Affairs has increased regulation of imported goods by 35% over the past five years, employing more than 2,000 analysts and conducting more than 100,000 analyses annually, says David Elder of the FDA Office of Regulatory Affairs.
Working cooperatively with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and other agencies, the FDA uses a targeted, risk-based approach to electronically examine 100% of imported drug products followed by additional reviews by FDA imports personnel to ensure key compliance, says David Elder, regional operations director in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Regulatory Affairs.
Read the full interview with David Elder, as reprinted from FDA Consumer Updates under Read More below.
A Canadian Paralympic curling champion recently pleaded guilty to selling counterfeit drugs in the U.S. Jim Armstrong and his son Gregory pleaded guilty in a Seattle court to selling and dispensing counterfeit drugs with intent to mislead or defraud, reports CTV. The pair was accused of peddling phony erectile dysfunction medication. The 59-year-old allegedly attempted to…
A new agency has been set up in Liberia to combat illegal trade in counterfeit drugs in the country. A representative of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime told Voice of America that counterfeit drug crime is currently on the rise in West Africa. This puts patients at increased risk of malaria, the leading cause of…
Authorities in Kenya will soon institute regulations on the operations of herbalists who sell counterfeit drugs wrongly described as herbal remedies to patients, reports Business Daily Africa. “The regulations will require that herbalists register their medicines and that those medicines have to go for laboratory analysis,” Edward Abwao – assistant chief pharmacist at the Pharmacy and…