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In May 2009, Dr. Vinod Patwardhan, an oncologist working in Upland and Chino, California, was found guilty by a jury of smuggling foreign, misbranded cancer drugs into the United States and administering them to his patients. Between 2004 and 2008, Patwardhan purchased $1.3 million worth of injectable cancer drugs from foreign sources. He and his employees made at least 34…
Read MoreSpread of spurious/counterfeit/substandard drugs is a modern day menace which has been recognised internationally, especially so in developing countries. The problem assumes added significance in view of rapid globalisation. The market of spurious and counterfeit drugs is a well-organised, white collar crime. Poverty, high cost of medicines, lack of an official supply chain, legislative lacunae, easy accessibility to computerised printing…
Read MoreDid you know that Internet search engines, such as Google and Yahoo, claim to verify online pharmacies through PharmacyChecker.com? But what good does it do? This site provides little to no security about the legitimacy of Internet drug sellers. Rogue online pharmacies continue to profit from the sale of counterfeit drugs, and at the same time Internet search engines profit from the advertisements on these non-verified pharmacies’ Web sites. Even more alarming is that Internet search engines are in no way held accountable for hosting and profiting off “online pharmacies” who distribute counterfeit drugs.
Read MorePartnership for Safe Medicines cautions consumers against counterfeit influenza drugs WASHINGTON—The Partnership for Safe Medicines, a group of organizations and individuals dedicated to protect consumers from counterfeit medicines, issued the following statement regarding the treatments for the A/H1N1 swine influenza. In light of the international swine influenza outbreak, pharmacists and consumers need to be wary of online drug sellers who…
Read MoreEarlier this month, the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) released the L.E.A.D.E.R.’s Guide for Pharmacists to encourage pharmacists to take an active role in protecting the supply chain from counterfeit drugs. This effort is one of many to help curb the distribution of harmful and potentially deadly counterfeit drugs. Similarly, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB), Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Dispensing Doctor’s Association (DDA) issued Counterfeit medicines: Guidance for pharmacists, explaining the background of counterfeit drugs, their production and distribution to pharmacists.
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