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PSM’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 original member associations, the Pharmaceutical…
Read MoreView larger map A La Jolla oncologist, Doctor Joel I. Bernstein, has pled guilty to charges he purchased unapproved foreign cancer medications and defrauded Medicare by claiming credit for the drugs as if they were genuine. On Tuesday July 2nd, Bernstein was sentenced to one year of probation, and required to pay over $2 million in fines and penalties for…
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 the results of its 6th…
Read MoreCounterfeit Drugs in America 101: a SAFEMEDICINES Tutorial for Healthcare Provider Associations July 18, 2013. Washington DC Every month brings a new story about healthcare providers in America encountering, ordering, and in some cases delivering non-FDA-approved medications from outside the secure supply chain to patients. The safety dangers to patients are paramount, but such activities are also career-ending legal events…
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 their report, “Teens Getting Prescription…
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 July 27, 2010. While still…
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, TN, Dr. Anindya Kumar Sen…
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 patients with unapproved IUDs purchased…
Read MoreTwo Pakistani nationals have been extradited to the United States for their alleged role in importing misbranded pharmaceuticals and controlled substances worth approximately $780,000 into the United Sates by offering them for sale via the Internet. The drugs were packaged and shipped from locations in the United Kingdom as well as Pakistan.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released a report May 20th on the extradition and arrest of Sheikh Waseem Ul Haq, and Tahir Saeed of Karachi, Pakistan. The two men are charged with “conspiracy to import controlled substance pharmaceuticals into the United States; conspiracy to distribute controlled substance pharmaceuticals; conspiracy to introduce misbranded pharmaceuticals into interstate commerce; importation and distribution of controlled substance pharmaceuticals; introduction into interstate commerce of misbranded drugs, and conspiracy to commit international money laundering. It also includes a forfeiture allegation seeking all proceeds that can be traced to the scheme.”
Read MoreView larger map On June 10, 2013, Dr. William Kincaid of Johnson City, Tennessee was sentenced to two years in prison for his role in purchasing misbranded and possibly counterfeit cancer drugs. Kincaid was a physician and managing partner for McLeod Cancer and Blood Center of Johnson City, Tennessee. The clinic was set up to provide care for those with…
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