Archive for April 2011
Operation “Bright Sword” Disrupts Counterfeiters
Chinese police have seized 14,185 suspects since November, 2010, in a campaign to halt the trade in counterfeit goods, including software, food, drugs, and luggage. The Ministry of Public Security announced April 12, 2011, that the suspects were involved in more than 8,000 investigations into counterfeiting and 7,000 production and sales outlets, reported China Daily.…
[...]Online Snake Oil Salesmen Exploit Japanese Radiation Fears
Japanese police arrested two people for allegedly selling fake drugs to protect from radiation exposure in Tokyo. Natsumi Chiba, 29, and Fumitaka Umewaka, 50, allegedly sold “Premium Zeolite,” advertising it as a substance that absorbs and removes radiation from the body. Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department said that they sold the drug online to people in…
[...]Vice-Chair of IMPACT Speaks in Geneva
The World Health Assembly (WHA) held a drug counterfeiting session in Geneva, Switzerland, where Dr. Paul Orhii, vice-chair of the 193 member-nation International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force (IMPACT) based in Geneva rallied members to come to consensus and move forward to fight the drug safety problems caused by fake medication distribution. Orhii, also Director-General…
[...]WHO Calls for Coordinated Effort to Fight Drug Resistance
2011 World Health Day was commemorated by WHO regional director, Luis Gomes Sambo, by urging leaders to fight drug resistance by removing counterfeit medicine, bad prescribing habits and over exposure to sub-optimal quantities of medications. “If not properly managed, resistant germs may spread and cause severe diseases. However, attempts have been made to overcome drug…
[...]Fugitive Fake Drug Trafficker Flees After Conviction
After being convicted of conspiring to traffic fake medication, En Wang, 32, owner of a Houston based company, while free on bond, fled the country prior to his sentencing. Wang was sentenced in absentia to 33 months in federal prison without parole on March 28, 2011. Homeland Security Investigators believe that Wang left the US…
[...]Man Found Guilty of UK’s Biggest Fake Drug Case Sentenced to 8 Years, Faces Over $8 Million in Fines
View larger map On April 8, 2011, Peter Gillespie, 64, of Windsor, Berkshire, was found guilty at Croydon Crown Court for what the MHRA refers to a “the most serious known breach of counterfeit medicine in the regulated supply chain.” Gillespie was accused of infiltrating the legitimate UK supply chain with counterfeit medications imported from…
[...]UK Counterfeit Cancer Drug Distributor Sentenced to Eight Years
Peter Gillespie, 64, of Windsor, Berkshire, was found guilty of all charges at Croydon Crown Court for what the MHRA has called “the most serious known breach of counterfeit medicine in the regulated supply chain.”
In the trial, which began in November 2010, Gillespie and four associated businessmen were accused of running a fake cancer, heart, and mental health medication distribution scheme, in which they were accused of infiltrating the legitimate supply chain, based on Gillespie’s well known stature in the pharmaceutical wholesale field, with fake medications imported from Asia.
Gillespie was sentenced to eight years, and his four co-defendants were acquitted, announced the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Gillespie was charged with importing over two million doses of fake medication for serious health concerns, including prostate cancer, blood clots and psychosis. Gillespie was convicted of importing over 2 million doses into the UK in a five month period. More than half the medications were seized by MHRA, however 900,000 doses reached pharmacies and patients, with more than 700,000 of those doses unrecoverable.
He was affiliated with Kevin Xu, convicted in the United States of importation of the same chemically deficient medications. U.S. Federal Customs and Immigration authorities, alerted to Xu’s role in the UK debacle, organized a sting operation where he sold large quantities of counterfeit medication to undercover agents. He was tried in Federal Court and found guilty of selling counterfeit goods, ordered pay $1.3 million in restitution and sentenced to over six years in prison.
[...]Gillespie’s Co-conspirator, Kevin Xu
Watch the story of Gillespie’s co-conspirator, Kevin Xu, convicted in the U.S. for counterfeit drug importation.Video courtesy of HDNet.
[...]Sniffing Out the Fake Drugs
Finnish customs agents have borrowed a trained drug sniffing dog with an expertise in counterfeit medicine to patrol baggage and mail.
A fluffy black and white spotted dog, named Springer, has been trained to identify narcotics, like pungent smelling hashish, as well as scents indiscernible to the human nose, like fake erectile dysfunction medication.
[...]“U-Prosta”: herbal prostate product recalled as it may pose serious health risks
This is a reprint of the Health Canada alert. Advisory2011-54April 7, 2011For immediate release The issue: "U-Prosta Natural support for prostate health" is being voluntarily recalled in Canada by Sunnylife International Inc. after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found the product contains undeclared terazosin hydrochloride, which is a prescription drug used to treat…
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