South Korea battles counterfeit medication smuggling

August 23, 2010

South Korea estimates the quantity of counterfeit erectile dysfunction (ED) medication smuggled into the country is 23 times greater than five years ago, according to the Korea Herald. The National Tax Service (NTS) has detected 18 cases of smuggled impotence medicine worth 90.6 billion won ($77 million) in total for the first six months of…

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China releases the names of 33 counterfeit drugs in circulation

August 20, 2010

China released the names of thirty-three counterfeit medications on the loose. The State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) disclosed on August 17 that thirty-three counterfeit medicines are circulating in the country and urged local and regional governments to vigilantly monitor local pharmacies and medical institutions for counterfeit copies of trademarked medications. Tongrentang (TRT), a prestigious…

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Matrix Code Technology Joins Counterfeit Stoppers

August 19, 2010

  A new ‘track and trace’ technology is being developed to uniquely mark pharmaceutical products and improve traceability.   The technique will allow faster identification and resolution of any manufacturing quality problems but will also prove invaluable as an anti-counterfeit measure because the specific coding and validation systems are almost impossible to copy. This technology…

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German Prosecutors Find Suspect Drugs in Supply Chain

August 18, 2010

Germany is investigating dozens of pharmacies in the north of the country for suspected involvement in the distribution of illegal medicines, including counterfeits, reports securingpharma.com. Prosecutors have brought charges against one pharmacist from the Braunschweig region who is accused of handling €1.68m-worth. Pharmacies in Hamburg, Celle, Verden and Kiel are also being probed, reports the…

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Man Given Four Years for Illegal Online Pharmacy

August 17, 2010

A federal judge recently sentenced a man to four years in prison for his part in operating an illegal online pharmacy that distributed anabolic steroids to a number of high-profile individuals. J. Michael Bennet, a pharmacist, was one of five people found guilty earlier this year of running the online pharmacy, called Applied Pharmacy Services…

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Packaging Company Proposes Anti-Countefeiting Technology

August 17, 2010

AA packaging machinery manufacturer has proposed a new anti-counterfeiting technology that may help protect people from counterfeit drugs.   The proposed technology would place a serialized label on the side of the individual blister packs and also put a synchronized marking on the bottom of each drug container, according to Packaging Digest. The marking on…

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Web Company Accused of Registering Illegal Online Pharmacy Domain Names

August 16, 2010

A company that has registered 8 percent of the world’s website domain names has been accused of registering about one-third of all the world’s illegal online pharmacies’ websites. Critics are calling on Demand Media to end its registration of illegal online pharmacies, as well as saying it should stop some of its other controversial activities,…

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Nigerian Businessman Arraigned on Counterfeit Drug Charges

August 9, 2010

A Nigerian businessman was recently arraigned for allegedly importing counterfeit drugs into the country. Paulinus Ejike Onuah is accused of importing counterfeit drugs into Nigeria, including fake versions of Lincocin Capsule, Ampiclox, Atesenate and Postinor, according to PM News. Onuah was arraigned by the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in front…

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Two Drug Makers To Use Text Message Anti-Counterfeiting Technology

August 6, 2010

Two international pharmaceutical companies recently announced that they would use SaaS-based anti-counterfeiting technology to combat counterfeit drugs. This type of anti-counterfeiting technology places a scratchable area on drug packaging. The consumer then scratches it to reveal a number. That number is then sent via text message to a government agency, which in turn sends it…

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Tech Company To Give Drug Makers Anti-Counterfeiting Technology

August 4, 2010

A technology company has entered an agreement with a number of pharmaceutical companies in India to supply them with an anti-counterfeiting technology. By using nanotechnology the company says it can track medications through the supply chain and thus may prevent counterfeit drugs from entering it. Specifically, the technology puts unique “fingerprints” on products that can…

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