Archive for July 2010
Identifying Counterfeit Drugs Part of New Malaria Research
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) recently announced that it will create 10 malaria centers around the world to study issues related to the disease, including new methods for identifying counterfeit drugs used to treat the illness. The NIAID, which is part of the National Institute of Health, will provide the centers…
[...]Illinois Man Accused of Selling Counterfeit Drugs
An Illinois man is currently facing charges that he sold counterfeit drugs. Wail T. Salem of Orland Park, Illinois, is accused of selling thousands of items that falsely bore the name of Pfizer Incorporated, a respected pharmaceutical company, according to the Chicago Tribune. It is believed that Salem made more than $100,000 through his alleged…
[...]Man to Forfeit $29 Million in Illegal Online Pharmacy Case
A Texas man was recently found guilty of running an illegal online pharmacy that distributed pain killers. From August 2000 to November 2007, David Allen Vogel, along with several others, operated an online pharmacy that sold millions of hydrocodone pills and other controlled drugs to people without a valid prescription, according to KFDM, a CBS…
[...]Canadian Pharmacies Experiencing High Number of Pharmaceutical Thefts
A retailer that operates a chain of Canadian pharmacies is working to change its procedure to prevent theft of pharmaceuticals. An average of 30 Canadian pharmacies in Saskatchewan are broken into each year for the purpose of stealing OxyContin, a pain killer, according to the CBC. The drug has become popular among both abusers and…
[...]Utah Doctor Sentenced to Three Years for Illegal Online Pharmacy
A Utah doctor is being sent to jail for his connection to an illegal online pharmacy that sold more than eight million weight-loss pills manufactured in Mexico. Dr James A Brinton was sentenced to three years in a federal penitentiary after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute phentermine and conspiracy to commit international money…
[...]Can you spot a counterfeit version of a drug you take?
NBC’s Today show aired a piece this morning about counterfeits. Host Matt Lauer, who takes Lipitor, is shown two packages of pills. One bag has counterfeit Lipitor pills and the other one has the real drug. He looks at it and cannot figure out which is which. Check out the clip: Watch the full clip…
[...]Pfizer Shifts Approach on Fighting Counterfeit Drugs
In the past five years many unscrupulous individuals have tried to cash in on the market by producing counterfeit drugs. One convicted counterfeiter is Martin Hickman, who made millions of dollars by sellingknockoffs of Pfizer’s popular impotence drug, Viagra, on more than 150 websites, according to Business Week. The drug maker eventually caught Hickman and…
[...]Man Gets Five Years for Running Illegal Online Pharmacy
A Georgia man was recently sentenced to more than five years in prison for running an illegal online pharmacy. Christopher Stoufflet helped start a business called eScriptsmd.com in 2001 that sold prescription medications over the internet, according to the AtlantaJournal-Constitution. Two years ago, Stoufflet pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and to commit…
[...]Free Trade Zones and Counterfeit Drugs: An Interview with PSM’s Bryan Liang and Netherlands Antilles’ Chief of Staff of the Inspectorate of Public Health
Following our update on the announcement of Google’s elimination of PharmacyChecker.com as a certifying authority for U.S. and Canadian pharmacies, we were contacted by Norbert C. Bernardina, from the Inspectorate of Public Health in Netherlands Antilles. “Every year Pharmacy Checker asks the Inspectorate of Pharmaceutical Affairs for a declaration that Pharmaceutical Services International functions according…
[...]Sugita M, Miyakawa M. Economic analysis of use of counterfeit drugs: health impairment risk of counterfeit phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor taken as an example. Environ Health Prev Med. 2010 Jul; 15(4):244-51.
OBJECTIVES: The size of the market for counterfeit drugs throughout the world is considerable. Many cases of health impairment due to counterfeits have been reported. The market share of counterfeits in drug markets in developed countries is smaller than that in developing countries. However, the size of the market for counterfeits of phosphodiesterase type 5…
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