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The 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 MoreView larger map Mahomed Bacai, a Portuguese national living in the United Kingdom, was sentenced to 44 months in prison for running an illegal mail order drug business out of his home. The investigation conducted by the Medicine Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) resulted in the seizure of approximately £1.6 million worth of unlicensed, prescription-only-medicines and dangerous pharmaceuticals. Bacai pleaded guilty…
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 MoreShri Keshav Desiraju, Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India delivering Inaugural Address at the Open House Consultation on Accessibility to Safe and Quality Medicines in the Supply Chain in India in New Delhi February 15, 2013.
Read MoreView in larger map Abdul Latif Fneish, the brother of Lebanese Minister of State for Administrative Affairs, Mohammad Fneish, has had an arrest warrant issued against him in Lebanon as a result of his links to counterfeit drug importation. In November 2012, Abdul Latif was linked via media reports to the forging of laboratory test certificates on illegally imported drugs.…
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