The proliferation of counterfeit drugs on the global market and easy availability via online pharmacies is an increasing problem. The makers of counterfeit drugs have enjoyed and profited from loopholes in a system designed to deliver healthy medicines to those in need. The rising cost of prescription medications and the ubiquitous presence of online and overseas pharmacies means more people…

(Bloomberg) — Counterfeit medicines are on the rise worldwide, as criminals capitalize on the growing use of the Internet by consumers searching for inexpensive drugs. Seizures of bogus prescription medicines jumped 24 percent to 1,513 incidents in 2007, and illicit versions of 403 different prescription drugs were confiscated in 99 countries, according to the Pharmaceutical Security Institute, a Vienna, Virginia-group…

Finnish Customs has been seizing a growing volume of counterfeit medications. Officials say that they expect an ever sharper upswing during the summer months. Most counterfeit pharmaceuticals are purchased through the Internet, but more and more are being found in shipments on cargo planes arriving from Asia. Last year, customs in Finland seized over 120 000 doses of fake medications.…

The proliferation of counterfeit drugs on the global market and easy availability via online pharmacies is an increasing problem. The makers of counterfeit drugs have enjoyed and profited from loopholes in a system designed to deliver healthy medicines to those in need. The rising cost of prescription medications and the ubiquitous presence of online and overseas pharmacies means more people…

The European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines (EAASM) has today unveiled its comprehensive research report — The Counterfeiting Superhighway. The report revealed that a frightening 62% of medicines purchased online are fake or substandard. These include medicines indicated to treat serious conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease, neurological disorders, and mental health conditions. 05 June 2008 Read the…

Jorge Alan Rodriguez Sanchez, 32, was indicted by a grand jury in Philadelphia yesterday for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances through the operation of an illegal Internet pharmacy, Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Alice S. Fisher and U.S. Attorney Patrick L. Meehan for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced today. 22 May 2008 Read the full story at…

Emergence of Internet sales channels and transnational payment gateways are propelling the 50 billion dollar global counterfeit drug industry, while emerging economies like India are evolving as manufacturing hub for such markets, a latest report says. 21 May 2008 Read the full story at expressindia.com.

The following statistics may not give India much reason to cheer. The country is still the second largest counterfeit medicines exporter to the European Union in 2007, although it has forfeited the first position it held in 2006 to Switzerland. As per data released by the European Commission on Monday, India stands second after Switzerland in the list of top…

The European Union expressed concern on Monday about a major increase in imports of counterfeit drugs, cosmetics and toys, calling it a threat to public health and the region's economies. Last year, customs authorities in the 27 EU nations discovered 51 percent more cases of fake medicines, while seizures of counterfeit toys were up by 98 percent on 2006 levels…