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In 2012, the FDA sent over 350 warning letters to doctors advising them they may have purchased fraudulent or misbranded injectable drugs, including fake versions of Avastin, Botox, and two different osteoporosis treatments. Now the FDA has identified another batch of fake Botox that is currently being marketed to doctor via fax blast.
On April 26, 2013, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted a drug safety warning for healthcare practitioners, warning them that fraudulent versions of the anti-wrinkle treatment Botox are being marketed and sold in the US. The Botox is being sold by unlicensed suppliers, and has not been vetted within the secure U.S. supply chain. They state that the FDA “cannot confirm that the manufacture, quality, storage, and handling of these products follow U.S. standards. These fraudulent products are considered unsafe and should not be used.“
Read MoreLearn more ways women’s health is at risk from medication counterfeiters.Click on image for full graphic.
Read MoreTwo proposals in the Maine legislature (LD 171 and LD 449) to import drugs from all over the world would endanger Maine patients without saving them any money. Maine patients would end up having their prescriptions filled by foreign companies that aren’t licensed pharmacies and sell drugs that aren’t even FDA-approved, assuming they didn’t get counterfeit drugs with either chalk or toxins.
For a serious condition, such as high blood pressure, asthma, and blood clots, even medicine made of chalk is a dangerous pill.
Read MoreMaine Senate to vote on LD 171 which will expose Maine patients to counterfeit drugs What: The Maine Senate will vote very soon on a bill (LD 171) to import drugs from black market pharmacies all over the world. The medications they want to import, which are not FDA-approved, would come from foreign pharmacies that aren’t licensed in the US.…
Read MoreAbstract
Background: Illicit or rogue Internet pharmacies are a recognized global public health threat that have been identified as utilizing various forms of online marketing and promotion, including social media.
Objective: To assess the accessibility of creating illicit no prescription direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) online pharmacy social media marketing (eDTCA2.0) and evaluate its potential global reach.
In light of the threat of illegal online pharmacies, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) announced their application to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to own and operate a secure and vetted .PHARMACY domain for licensed Internet pharmacies.
The April 2013 report from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) illustrates the patient safety threat from illegal online pharmacies by showing that of more than 10,000 Web sites they analyzed, nearly 97% operate out of compliance with pharmacy laws and practice standards established in the US. To combat that threat, they have announced their application to ICANN for .PHARMACY, which will be available only to legally operating online pharmacies, who follow the rules and regulations in the jurisdictions in which they are based.
Read MoreWhen counterfeit cancer medication was found in US distribution at doctors’ offices throughout the country, the source of the fake drugs was traced to Canada Drugs affiliate, Montana Healthcare Solutions (MHS). Now the Wall Street Journal is reporting that a man who marketed the fake cancer drugs to US doctors is due to plead guilty to felony charges in the case.
On March 21, 2013, Paul Bottomley, a UK citizen and founder of Montana Healthcare Solutions, signed a plea agreement wherein he accepted his guilt for his role in the distribution of counterfeit cancer medication, reports the Wall Street Journal. According to the Plea Agreement, Bottomley waved the right to a jury trial and agreed to plead guilty to misprision of a felony, or aiding in the commission of a felony. The plea agreement also states that Bottomley “maintains he can provide substantial assistance to the United States” and in so doing, further reduce his sentence.
Bottomley had previously agreed to forfeit the proceeds of his business to the Federal Government, including land and an ostentasiously expensive Aston Martin, sold at auction for $110,000, reports the Missoulan.
Bottomley initially denied any connection to the fake Avastin distribution, telling CBS news via text that Montana Healthcare Solutions had shut down in 2010, and that he “knew nothing of this Avastin matter.” Subsequent investigations however linked him to the sale of the fake Avastin. CBS reports further that a doctor they spoke to received a price sheet in 2011 from MHS with Bottomley listed as the “Business Development Director.”
Back in February 2012 when the FDA first reported that counterfeit Avastin had been found at US doctors’ offices, they identified Montana Healthcare Solutions as one of the suppliers. At that time MHS’s links to online pharmacy giant Canada Drugs were not as yet understood. In July of 2012, the Wall Street Journal linked the two companies in print for the first time. Montana Healthcare Solutions has since been identified by the FDA as “owned and operated by Canada Drugs.”
In related news, The Winnepeg Sun is reporting that Canada Drugs has laid off hundreds of employees in the wake of the FDA’s efforts to shut down their US operations.
To learn more about the safety of purported Canadian Internet pharmacies, and to insure that your medicine stays safe read “The 5 Secrets Canadian Web Pharmacies Don’t Want You To Know.”
To learn more about the counterfeit Avastin case, and check to see if your doctor received a warning letter from the FDA about fake cancer medication, read our Update on Fake Avastin.
Read MoreView larger map A police raid in West London netted over $750,000 worth of misbranded and unlicensed prescription drugs. Investigators from the MHRA believe the stash were manufactured in India, and were packaged and stored in unsanitary conditions in the London flat. About 150,000 pills were seized. Most of the misbranded drugs were drugs for ED, weight loss and hair…
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