Last month, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) held a conference in Vienna to discuss the the production, distribution and trafficking of fake drugs by organized crime networks. The conference, which was held February 14-15, gathered an international group of experts from governments, law enforcement agencies, NGOs and the private sector to share information about the scale of the problem, which has significant impact worldwide. UNODC has found that in parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America as much as 30 percent of available drugs are fraudulent, and that the trafficking of unsafe or ineffective medicine is “a multi-billion dollar activity.”
Read MoreMarch
12, 2013 (Washington, D.C.) – The Partnership for Safe Medicines
(PSM), the leading advocacy organization dedicated to fighting the spread of
counterfeit drugs, applauds today’s
announcement of a bold new initiative between INTERPOL
and the pharmaceutical industry to combat the global health threat of
counterfeit and fake medicines.
This new initiative broadens the scope of the
successful Medical Product Counterfeiting and Pharmaceutical Crime Unit through
the creation of a Pharmaceutical Crime Program to assist and enhance worldwide
law enforcement efforts. Thomas Kubic, PSM Board Member and CEO of the
Pharmaceutical Security Institute, released the following statement hailing the
new agreement:
How Did That Canadian Web Pharmacy Medicine Get to Me?
So called “Canadian” online pharmacies pretend to sell non-Canadians price-controlled medications for citizens. Evidence collected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration questions their claim.
Read MoreThough China has long been linked to the manufacture of counterfeit drugs, the last two years have shown that Chinese authorities are taking counterfeit drug crime much more seriously. China’s Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) cracked over 14,000 cases last year, a major toxic gel capsule ring was broken up, and Chinese authorities are working in concert with both the FDA and major drug manufacturers to track down counterfeit drug manufacturers and prosecute them. The founding of Partnership for Safe Medicines China also demonstrates China’s stakeholders’ commitment to improving patient safety both at home and abroad.
China made great strides in the last year in their efforts to combat pharmaceutical counterfeiting. Their cooperation with the US Food and Drug Administration on inspections is helping to safeguard both US and Chinese consumers. The founding of Partnership for Safe Medicines China underscores a new commitment to ensuing drug safety within their borders. Partnership for Safe Medicines China is the latest branch of the leading advocacy organization dedicated to fighting the global threat posed by counterfeit and misbranded drugs.
Read MoreThe National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) has released their 5th annual report on Internet Drug Outlets. Published each year, it is a progress report for state and federal regulators that illustrates the state of online drug sales in the United States and the overwhelming dominance of fake online pharmacies in the global Internet marketplace.
As of March 4, 2011, NABP surveyed 10,275 internet pharmacies and found that 9,938 or 97% were classified as “Not Recommended”, meaning they did not comply with NABP patient safety and pharmacy practice standards, or state and federal laws.
Read MoreOn February 19th, 2013 the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) posted a press release warning of dangerous heavy metal contamination in unlicensed Chinese herbal medications produced in Hong Kong and sold internationally online. The herbal compounds are reported to contain mercury and lead, which can lead to health side-effects ranging from dizziness to kidney and brain damage, reports the MHRA.
The MHRA, which is the UK counterpart to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), states that the following products: “Bak Foong Pills – used to relieve menstrual discomfort, Fung Shing Paij Tian-Ma Wan – used to relieve arthritis and headaches, and Shi Hu Ye Guang Wan and Nai Chang Ming Yan Pills – both used to improve vision in adults” are all contaminated with either lead or mercury.
Read MoreBefore buying the next miracle cure for weight loss, joint pain, or intestinal distress, ask yourself, is it heart-smart to take a dietary supplement you know nothing about?
Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the US for both men and women.
In the last few years, some truly unexpected drug compounds that cause heart ailments have turned up in herbal dietary supplements despite claims to be “safe and all natural.” To honor American Heart Month, take the pledge to guard your heart by being a smart shopper and only taking dietary supplements when you know the ingredients are safe.
Learn more about the top three herbal supplement ingredients that are neither natural nor herbal.
Read MoreOn February 13, 2013, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released
their report, “Countering the Problem of Falsified and Substandard Drugs” that
reviews the current state of substandard and falsified drugs globally, and offers
a series of recommendations to combat drug falsification and to encourage
global cooperation on drug safety.
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Margaret
Hamburg commends the FDA commissioned report because it “spotlights a critical global public health
issue. Falsified and substandard medicines adversely affect the lives of
millions around the world, and the issue must be elevated to the highest levels
of international discourse.”
On February 15, 2013 at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, the Partnership for Safe Medicines India proposed an initiative “to study the extent of spurious and not-of-standard medicines in India and adopt policies to ensure safety and quality in the supply chain.”
An unprecedented pilot program supported by the PSM India will provide low-cost medicine evaluation for patients at accredited government approved laboratories. The goal of the pilot program is to “establish trust on the quality and existing regulatory standards between the manufacturers and the consumers,” said P. D. Sheth, VP, International Pharmaceutical Federation.
Read MoreBreaking News: US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified a third batch of counterfeit cancer medication in the United States. On February 5, 2013, the FDA posted a health practitioner warning about this latest counterfeit version of the cancer treatment Avastin.
According to the FDA “lab tests have confirmed that at least one batch of a counterfeit version of Roche’s Altuzan distributed in the United States contains no active ingredient.” The counterfeit drugs allegedly have been distributed by New York-based supplier, Medical Device King/Pharmalogical, reports the FDA warning. This is the first time a US drug supplier has been implicated in the distribution of counterfeit cancer drugs.