Customs officers tackle deluge of counterfeit goods

THE FLOW of counterfeit eastern luxury goods and sexual and athletic performance-enhancing medications into the European market has become a flood. Czech customs officers intercepted in the post and destroyed one tonne of fake Viagra, Cialis and anabolic steroid pills at Kralupy nad Vltavou, near Prague. Packages mailed from Hong Kong and India to addresses…

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Iraqi Health Ministry Closes Two “Fake Pharmacies” in Al-Sadr City

The Health Ministry's Department for Private Sector Institutions [DPSI], affiliated with the ministry's inspector general, closed two fake pharmacies in Al-Sadr city and seized large amounts of medicines yesterday [ 11 August]. The step comes in response to the ministry's national plan to control medicine sale in the private sector. Speaking to Al-Sabah, Health Ministry's…

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Customs impounds 120 containers of counterfeit drugs

THE Nigeria Customs Service has seized 120 containers of fake and expired drugs from importers. The Comptroller-General of Customs, Alhaji Hamman Bello, who disclosed this when he visited the Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Dora Akunyili, said the goods were seized from importers he called economic…

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Surfers buy medicines online

Twenty-five per cent of online shoppers in the UK either have or would be prepared to buy prescription drugs over the web, according to a survey. According to WebCredible's findings, more people would buy prescription drugs online than would buy cars or garden sheds. 13 August 2008 Read the full story at webuser.co.uk.

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FDA: Baltimore Pharmacies Selling Expired and Counterfeit Drugs

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns consumers who recently filled prescriptions at two Medicine Shoppes in Baltimore they may have received expired or counterfeit drugs. The FDA is especially worried because the drugs in question are taken for serious illnesses and could have adverse effects on patients' treatments. 12 August 2008 Read the full…

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An Unexpected Fake in Los Angeles

Bryan A. Liang, MD, PhD, JD

Botox treatment is one of the fastest-growing cosmetic procedures on the market today.  With the promise to eliminate wrinkles and fine lines, more and more baby boomers are turning to this product to fight the signs of aging.  However, in addition to battling wrinkles, the makers of Botox now find themselves fighting the illicit business of counterfeit drugs.  

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Panjabi SS, Panjabi RS, Shepherd MD*, Lawson KA, Johnsrud M, Barner J. Extended-release, once-daily morphine (Avinza) for the treatment of chronic nonmalignant pain: effect on pain, depressive symptoms, and cognition. Pain Medicine. 2008 Aug; 9(8):985-93.

Abstract. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of an extended-release, once-daily morphine sulfate formulation on depressive symptoms and neurocognition in patients with chronic nonmalignant pain.

DESIGN: Prospective, open-label, one-group trial with a pretest-posttest design.

SETTING: Outpatient pain management clinic.

PATIENTS AND INTERVENTION: Chronic nonmalignant pain patients inadequately controlled with short-acting opioid analgesics and eligible for treatment with once-daily morphine sulfate were initiated on a dose at or near the morphine-equivalent dose of the short-acting regimen.

OUTCOMES: The following assessments were made at baseline and 4 weeks after initiating intervention: pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, pain suffering, pain behaviors, Beck Depression Inventory, and cognitive function.

RESULTS: Eighty-four patients provided usable data. Pain intensity, unpleasantness, and suffering scores were significantly reduced at follow-up (P = 0.001). The mean Beck Depression Inventory scores were significantly lower at follow-up (P = 0.001). Significant improvements were seen in scores at follow-up on the three validated neurocognitive tests: the digit span test, the digit symbol substitution test, and the paced auditory serial addition test (P = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Achieving adequate pain control with once-daily morphine was associated with a reduction in pain and improvements in depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning in the short term.

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