Counterfeit Medicine Found in German Pharmacies

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Dozens of German pharmacies in the north of the country are under investigation for suspected distribution of counterfeit medication. Pharmacists from Brauschweig, Hamburg, Celle, Verden and Kiel are being investigated.

Who: German officials

When: August 12, 2010

Where: Brauschweig, Hamburg, Celle, Verden and Kiel

How: Counterfeit drugs are suspected of being available on pharmacy shelves.

Additional details: Prosecutors have brought charges against one pharmacist from the Braunschweig region who is accused of handling €1.68m-worth and are investigating several others. Counterfeit goods being traded included not only lifestyle medicines such as impotency drugs and bodybuilding products, but also painkillers, antibiotics and cancer treatments. Among the practices alleged to have been carried out by the pharmacists is compounding of medicines using illegally-acquired active ingredients.

Related sources:

German pharmacies infiltrated by fake medicines?,” SecuringPharma. August 12, 2010.