The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) has produced a short video starring an animated “genuine” pill warning consumers and doctors of the dangers of counterfeit drugs. In a post on the Global Health Matters blog, editor Mario Ottiglio explains the reasons for the campaign: “Every day, fake medicines find their way into…
Read MoreIn the last year, there were several cases of counterfeit medication entering the secure U.S drug supply chain via orders made by healthcare professionals. The safety dangers to patients are implicit, but the legal problems healthcare providers face in these cases are not. On Thursday July 18th, the Partnership for Safe Medicines hosted Counterfeit Drugs…
Read MoreLibby Baney speaking at the 2012 Interchange on online pharmacy patient safety issues. The Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP), an informal advocacy coalition started in 2009, has now become a charted nonprofit organization. Focused on online pharmacy safety, it is dedicated to protecting patient safety through legitimate online pharmacies. ASOP’s President is Diane Darvey,…
Read MoreThe United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) has just released a new report on the growing threat of fake Internet pharmacies in the United States. Its findings underscore the difficulty of enforcing US laws on foreign-based Internet pharmacies, and the imperative need for public outreach to educate consumers about the dangers of counterfeit drugs. Internet…
Read MorePSM’s Member PSI Aids Investigators in Largest Global Operation of its Kind Washington, D.C. (June 27, 2013) – The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) applauds INTERPOL and the nearly 100 countries who took part in Operation Pangea VI, the largest global sting operation to date targeting the online sale of illegal prescription medicines. One of PSM’s…
Read MoreInterpol-coordinated global operation targeted fake online pharmacy trade, netted over $41 million worth of counterfeit medication, and shut down more than 9,600 fake online pharmacies. Fake versions of drugs used to treat diabetes symptoms, arthritis, and schizophrenia were seized as part of the operation. 58 arrests have been made. On June 27, 2013, Interpol announced…
Read MoreA recent WUSA-9 story looked at the growing problem of American teens who are buying prescription medication online from foreign-based online pharmacies that demand neither proof of age nor prescription. The growing problem of fake online pharmacies is of particular concern for parents trying to protect their children from dangerous drugs and toxic fakes. In…
Read MoreOn June 10th, 2013, Global Pharmacy Canada, a fake Internet pharmacy based in Belize, was forced by the Ontario Court of Appeal to shut down offices in Toronto for violating Ontario’s professional pharmacy rules. Global Pharmacy Canada was originally cited by Health Canada for marketing drugs to Canadians that were not of Canadian origin on…
Read MoreA second Johnson City doctor was charged with purchasing misbranded cancer drugs just days after Dr. William Kincaid was sentenced to 2 years for his role in purchasing & administering questionable cancer medication from non-FDA approved foreign suppliers. According to the indictment (Download Sen Indictment) released on June 11, 2013 by the U.S. District Court in Greeneville,…
Read MoreA Kentucky doctor is facing numerous charges including Medicare fraud for purchasing misbranded IUD contraceptive devices from a pair of fake online pharmacies and dispensing them to unsuspecting patients. Canh Jeff Vo, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky was charged with 13 counts including illegal drug importation, Medicaid fraud, health care fraud and mail fraud for deceiving his…
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