January 31, 2008
Last June, Yan Zhenni, a 5-year-old with leukemia from Shanghai, received a shot of the anticancer medication methotrexate. But the drug meant to treat her left her incontinent and unable to walk on her own, her mother says.
Chinese drug regulators have accused the manufacturer of the tainted drugs of a cover-up and have closed the factory that produced them. In December, China’s Food and Drug Administration said that the Shanghai police had begun a criminal investigation and that two officials, including the head of the plant, had been detained.
Shao Mingli, State Food and Drug Administration director, revealed at a national food and drug supervision meeting Thursday that his administration will cooperate with other departments and administrations in striking on-line illegal drug selling. They are being assisted by local food and drug supervision agencies.
January 30, 2008
Yao Xiu Yan, 39, got a five-year imprisonment sentence for trading fake medicines and two years behind bars for processing, transporting and trading forbidden goods, said the court’s verdict.
January 27, 2008
Ejaz Nisar is stated to have directed the concerned officials to improve the system of monitoring of efficiency of the drug inspectors. The stipulation should appeal to reason for the simple fact that there has been no indication of a let-up in the growth of trading in fake medicines despite similar warnings from the government over the past several years in a row.
January 26, 2008
To combat counterfeiting, more than 400 companies worldwide have created technology systems to authenticate goods, and many of them are small startups, said Ed Dietrich, director of the Americas for Reconnaissance International, based in Hood River, Ore.
January 24, 2008
In its most recent warning on counterfeit drugs, the FDA referred to a network of 24 online sources that appear to be operated from outside the United States. Some consumers ordering from these online sources received counterfeit versions of prescription Xenical (orlistat), a weight loss drug. None of the fake products contained the active ingredient. One product contained an entirely different prescription drug and others were composed only of talc and starch.
January 23, 2008
The man, surnamed Ren, had been hospitalized since April 2006 after contracting hepatitis. After being treated with the fake Armillarisni A injection from the Qiqihar No. 2 Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd., he developed a fever and began vomiting.
January 22, 2008
January 21, 2008
At the end of December 2006, the Commission began a two-part study into pharmaceutical distribution channels. The first part of the study, dealing with safe medicines in parallel trade, was completed at the end of 2007 and the second, covering counterfeit medicines, was due to present this year.
The United Nations Inter-regional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) said this month that "the Asian and African regions seem to be the most affected by counterfeit medicines" and "more than 30 percent of medicines on sale could be counterfeits in parts of Asia and parts of Latin America while in the former Soviet republics counterfeit medicines could constitute more than 20 percent of market value."
January 19, 2008
The lab, which was capable of producing a total of 5 million ecstasy, methamphetamine and counterfeit Viagra and Cialis pills a month, was a danger to public health, if only because of the unsanitary nature of the operation, police said. "People don't know what's in these pills," said Sgt. André Potvin, head of the RCMP's Montreal drug squad. "This laboratory was really filthy."
January 18, 2008
According to the sources, National Medical Store had been running a racket of fake drugs for quite some time.
January 10, 2008
The research shows that over two million people across Britain now regularly purchase medicines via the web. While a number of legitimate pharmacies provide online pharmacy services, there are also a number of suppliers operating from websites offering to sell medicines who have no professional qualifications or healthcare expertise. In many cases, medicines purchased from such sites are counterfeit, substandard or unapproved new drugs, which put public safety at risk.
The United Nations Inter-regional Crime and Justice Research Institute (Unicri) said this month that "the Asian and African regions seem to be the most affected by counterfeit medicines" and " more than 30 per cent of medicines on sale could be counterfeits in parts of Asia and parts of Latin America while in the former Soviet republics counterfeit medicines could constitute more than 20 per cent of market value."
Research shows that more than two million people across Britain – 90,000 in Wales – now regularly purchase medicines via the web.
The society has launched a new logo for online chemists so shoppers know which businesses are reputable. But many people want to purchase pills without prescription, and are likely to continue to visit unregulated sites.
January 09, 2008
Tonight, undercover federal agents and prosecutors tell us what's really inside the medicine. Local 2 investigative reporter Stephen Dean discovers why this may just be the beginning of the Chinese drug danger in Houston.
Based on the current Drug Act of B.E. 2510, fake drug manufacturers can be imprisoned for life with a maximum fine of 50,000 baht (about US$1,681). Fake drug importers and sellers can be jailed for up to 20 years with a maximum fine of 10,000 baht (about US$336). The new amendment would not change the jail terms, but would increase the maximum fines as outlined above.
January 08, 2008
In a market worth over $3 million and for the millions of men suffering from erectile dysfunction, the boom of fake Erectile Dysfunction (ED) medications is cause for concern. Another cache of fake medications was recently seized when French customs officials intercepted a shipment of 224,000 counterfeit Viagra and Cialis pills worth 2.4 million euros—$3.5 million—the Budget Ministry said Monday.
January 07, 2008
January 06, 2008
Most customers said they never received medications they ordered or got drugs that appeared questionable. The certifying groups learned of the misrepresentations — by dozens of Web sites — when online drug shoppers called to complain about sites they assumed had been approved or were members of the organization.
January 02, 2008
China Drugs: A Cautionary Tale
A contaminated anticancer drug made by one of China's largest pharmaceutical companies underscores how quality-control problems continue to plague the Chinese drug industry. There is no sign the tainted leukemia drug was exported. But the case provides a cautionary tale as Western pharmaceutical companies start outsourcing some manufacturing to China.Last June, Yan Zhenni, a 5-year-old with leukemia from Shanghai, received a shot of the anticancer medication methotrexate. But the drug meant to treat her left her incontinent and unable to walk on her own, her mother says.
By NICHOLAS ZAMISKA and AVERY JOHNSON
31 January 2008
Read the full story at wsj.com.
Posted by jclass at 06:05 PM
Scandal in China Over Tainted Cancer Drugs
BEIJING — A huge state-owned Chinese pharmaceutical company that exports to dozens of countries, including the United States, is at the center of a nationwide drug scandal after nearly 200 Chinese cancer patients were paralyzed or otherwise harmed last summer by contaminated leukemia drugs. Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image Du Bin for The New York Times.Chinese drug regulators have accused the manufacturer of the tainted drugs of a cover-up and have closed the factory that produced them. In December, China’s Food and Drug Administration said that the Shanghai police had begun a criminal investigation and that two officials, including the head of the plant, had been detained.
By JAKE HOOKER and WALT BOGDANICH
31 January 2008
Read the full story at nytimes.com.
Posted by jclass at 06:05 PM
China launches national campaign against on-line sales of illegal drugs
BEIJING, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- China's food and drug watchdog has vowed to intensify crackdown on on-line illegal drug sales to enforce its supervision of Internet-based drug distribution.Shao Mingli, State Food and Drug Administration director, revealed at a national food and drug supervision meeting Thursday that his administration will cooperate with other departments and administrations in striking on-line illegal drug selling. They are being assisted by local food and drug supervision agencies.
31 January 2008
Read the full story at xinhuanet.com.
Posted by jclass at 12:22 PM
Chinese woman sentenced for fake medicine trading
Ho Chi Minh City’s People’s Court on Jan. 30 meted out sentences with a total jail term of seven years to a Chinese woman for trading false medicines and sex toys.Yao Xiu Yan, 39, got a five-year imprisonment sentence for trading fake medicines and two years behind bars for processing, transporting and trading forbidden goods, said the court’s verdict.
30 January 2008
Read the full story at vnagency.com.vn.
Posted by jclass at 09:44 PM
Drive against spurious drugs
Chairing a meeting to review the pace of implementation of Health Sector Reforms Programme aimed at making quality medicines available to the people, Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Ejaz Nisar is reported to have ordered sweeping action against unscrupulous traders found indulging in indiscriminate sale of spurious drugs.Ejaz Nisar is stated to have directed the concerned officials to improve the system of monitoring of efficiency of the drug inspectors. The stipulation should appeal to reason for the simple fact that there has been no indication of a let-up in the growth of trading in fake medicines despite similar warnings from the government over the past several years in a row.
27 January 2008
Read the full story at brecorder.com.
Posted by jclass at 12:38 PM
Keeping it real
Every day, counterfeit prescription drugs, purses, watches, shoes, software, movies and music come into the U.S. And the problem is getting worse.To combat counterfeiting, more than 400 companies worldwide have created technology systems to authenticate goods, and many of them are small startups, said Ed Dietrich, director of the Americas for Reconnaissance International, based in Hood River, Ore.
By L.A. Lorek
26 January 2008
Read the full story at mysanantonio.com.
Posted by jclass at 12:39 PM
Be very careful when buying drugs online
You should definitely be concerned. If you purchase prescription drugs online, be sure to deal only with a legitimate Web pharmacy. More on this shortly.In its most recent warning on counterfeit drugs, the FDA referred to a network of 24 online sources that appear to be operated from outside the United States. Some consumers ordering from these online sources received counterfeit versions of prescription Xenical (orlistat), a weight loss drug. None of the fake products contained the active ingredient. One product contained an entirely different prescription drug and others were composed only of talc and starch.
24 January 2008
Read the full story at sunherald.com.
Posted by jclass at 09:50 PM
Death toll from contaminated drug rises to 14 in S China
GUANGZHOU, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- A 37-year-old man has died from the effects of a contaminated drug given to patients at a south China hospital almost two years ago, bringing the death toll to 14. The latest victim died on Wednesday afternoon at the No. 3 Zhongshan Hospital in Guangzhou, capital of southern China's Guangdong Province, after medical treatment failed.The man, surnamed Ren, had been hospitalized since April 2006 after contracting hepatitis. After being treated with the fake Armillarisni A injection from the Qiqihar No. 2 Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd., he developed a fever and began vomiting.
23 January 2008
Read the full story at xinhuanet.com.
Posted by jclass at 05:44 PM
Unlicensed medical stores go unchecked in Sindh
Karachi: The selling of medicine is becoming more of a general trade rather than a sensitive profession and has mushroomed alarmingly as the health department is unable to implement Drug Act in Sindh province. There are scores of medical stores across the province where non-pharmacists sell medicine and only few bother to place drug selling license on their stores, which are actually fake, in far flung areas. President Pakistan Medical Association Dr. Azizullah Khan Tank talking to PPI said that the matter of medicine being sold by un-qualified pharmacists, which are more like salesmen, is on the increase while authorities seem less bothered.22 January 2008
Read the full story at regionaltimes.com.
Posted by jclass at 09:48 PM
Parallel trade “considerable risk” to patient safety, says EC
The European Commission is to prioritise and speed up moves to deal with the issue of counterfeit drugs in parallel trade and will launch a legislative initiative on the issue after the summer break, Commission Vice President Guenter Verheugen has announced in the European Parliament.At the end of December 2006, the Commission began a two-part study into pharmaceutical distribution channels. The first part of the study, dealing with safe medicines in parallel trade, was completed at the end of 2007 and the second, covering counterfeit medicines, was due to present this year.
21 January 2008
Read the full story at pharmatimes.com.
Posted by jclass at 09:49 PM
Fake Drugs Kill People All Over World
WASHINGTON ― Health and crime agencies of the United Nations say that counterfeit drugs are killing people from China to Canada, and that they ``promote the development of new strains of viruses, parasites and bacteria ... for example in the case of malaria or HIV." And in many countries their manufacture and distribution are not even illegal.The United Nations Inter-regional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) said this month that "the Asian and African regions seem to be the most affected by counterfeit medicines" and "more than 30 percent of medicines on sale could be counterfeits in parts of Asia and parts of Latin America while in the former Soviet republics counterfeit medicines could constitute more than 20 percent of market value."
By Roger Bate
21 January 2008
Read the full story at koreatimes.co.kr.
Posted by jclass at 05:43 PM
Police bust Repentigny drug lab
Police have shut down a major designer-drug laboratory that used latex paint to colour its pills and operated out of a dirty commercial space in Repentigny.The lab, which was capable of producing a total of 5 million ecstasy, methamphetamine and counterfeit Viagra and Cialis pills a month, was a danger to public health, if only because of the unsanitary nature of the operation, police said. "People don't know what's in these pills," said Sgt. André Potvin, head of the RCMP's Montreal drug squad. "This laboratory was really filthy."
By William Marsden
19 January 2008
Read the full story at canada.com.
Posted by jclass at 06:02 PM
Fake medicines seized, one held
Fake medicines worth Rs 3 lakh were seized from a medical store when a joint team of district administration, police and health department raided it today, Samay sources said.According to the sources, National Medical Store had been running a racket of fake drugs for quite some time.
18 January 2008
Read the full story at saharasamay.com.
Posted by jclass at 05:45 PM
Millions Risk Health Buying Drugs Online
Millions of Brits could be playing Russian Roulette with their health buying prescription-only medicines from rogue internet sites, according to research conducted by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB). In response to this growing online danger, the RPSGB today rolls out the Internet Pharmacy Logo, a visual tool to help the public identify if a website is being operated by a bona fide pharmacy in Britain.The research shows that over two million people across Britain now regularly purchase medicines via the web. While a number of legitimate pharmacies provide online pharmacy services, there are also a number of suppliers operating from websites offering to sell medicines who have no professional qualifications or healthcare expertise. In many cases, medicines purchased from such sites are counterfeit, substandard or unapproved new drugs, which put public safety at risk.
10 January 2008
Read the full story at prnewswire.co.uk.
Posted by jclass at 08:52 PM
Kenya: Crack Down On Makers of Fake Drugs
UN health and crime agencies say counterfeit drugs are killing people from China to Canada and they "promote the development of new strains of viruses, parasites and bacteria ... for example in the case of malaria or HIV." And in many countries their manufacture and distribution is not even illegal.The United Nations Inter-regional Crime and Justice Research Institute (Unicri) said this month that "the Asian and African regions seem to be the most affected by counterfeit medicines" and " more than 30 per cent of medicines on sale could be counterfeits in parts of Asia and parts of Latin America while in the former Soviet republics counterfeit medicines could constitute more than 20 per cent of market value."
By Roger Bate
10 January 2008
Read the full story at allafrica.com.
Posted by jclass at 02:45 PM
90,000 in Wales 'putting their health at risk' by buying medicines online
UP TO 90,000 people living in Wales could be putting their health at risk by buying medicines online. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) has warned that online shoppers may not fully understand the risks of ordering common drugs over the internet.Research shows that more than two million people across Britain – 90,000 in Wales – now regularly purchase medicines via the web.
By Madeleine Brindley
10 January 2008
Read the full story at icnetwork.co.uk.
Posted by jclass at 02:44 PM
Online drug shopping 'widespread'
More than two million people in the UK now buy their drugs online, research published by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPSGB) suggests. Up to a third of these medicines may be fake and could seriously damage people's health, it warns.The society has launched a new logo for online chemists so shoppers know which businesses are reputable. But many people want to purchase pills without prescription, and are likely to continue to visit unregulated sites.
10 January 2008
Read the full story at bbc.co.uk.
Posted by jclass at 01:51 AM
Chinese Counterfeit Medicines Pose Danger To Houston
Tonight, Local 2 Investigates exposes a new danger coming from China. Now, it's prescription medicines you may have to worry about. We've learned millions of Chinese counterfeit prescription drugs made their way to Houston. Some were destined for local pharmacies.Tonight, undercover federal agents and prosecutors tell us what's really inside the medicine. Local 2 investigative reporter Stephen Dean discovers why this may just be the beginning of the Chinese drug danger in Houston.
9 January 2008
Read the full story at click2houston.com.
Posted by jclass at 08:52 PM
Increased Penalties for Counterfeit Drugs in Thailand
Thailand ’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is planning to increase fines on importers, sellers, and manufacturers of fake drugs. Currently, the FDA is proposing to amend Drug Act of B.E. 2510 where manufacturers can be fined up to 5 million baht (about US$168,000) while importers and sellers can be fined up to 2 million baht (about US$67,000).Based on the current Drug Act of B.E. 2510, fake drug manufacturers can be imprisoned for life with a maximum fine of 50,000 baht (about US$1,681). Fake drug importers and sellers can be jailed for up to 20 years with a maximum fine of 10,000 baht (about US$336). The new amendment would not change the jail terms, but would increase the maximum fines as outlined above.
9 January 2008
Read the full story at pacificbridgemedical.com.
Posted by jclass at 12:10 PM
Phony Viagra, Cialis Pills Seized by French Customs Officials
Men using Viagra, Cialis and other impotence drugs should be sure to get these from a trusted source. That’s because the market - especially the internet, is awash in phony impotence drugs.In a market worth over $3 million and for the millions of men suffering from erectile dysfunction, the boom of fake Erectile Dysfunction (ED) medications is cause for concern. Another cache of fake medications was recently seized when French customs officials intercepted a shipment of 224,000 counterfeit Viagra and Cialis pills worth 2.4 million euros—$3.5 million—the Budget Ministry said Monday.
8 January 2008
Read the full story at newsinferno.com.
Posted by jclass at 01:51 AM
Americas Watchdog Describes Counterfeit Drugs Or Cigarettes Purchased On The Internet As A Global Ticking Time Bomb For Consumers & The Actual Manufacturers
Americas Watchdog and its Global Piracy & Counterfeiting Consultants are among the most quoted sources in the world on counterfeit drugs and cigarettes. The Global Piracy & Counterfeiting Consultants (Http://GP-CC.Com) are now strongly encouraging consumers worldwide to not purchase pharmaceuticals, any type of drug, or any type of cigarette on the Internet, unless the consumer is a 100% certain they are getting the legitimate product. Americas Watchdog describes the counterfeit pharmaceutical/drug and cigarette problem as, "a looming global disaster, that is nothing short of a huge ticking time bomb. It is no longer a question of if thousands will die, its simply a question of how soon". In addition, Americas Watchdog indicated that, "corporations thinking they can blame a government, or law enforcement for not doing enough about counterfeit drugs or cigarettes will not have a valid excuse, when the disaster happens or the series of disasters happen". "The next 9-11 type attack could come to the US, Europe, Australia, or Japan via counterfeit pills or cigarettes, and no one would ever know it was happening until it was too late".7 January 2008
Read the full story at prweb.com.
Posted by jclass at 01:46 AM
Dozens of drug Web sites falsely claiming certification by professional groups
The Better Business Bureau and other professional groups are complaining to federal regulators that some Internet pharmacies are falsely claiming they are certified by their organizations, leaving dissatisfied consumers with nowhere to turn.Most customers said they never received medications they ordered or got drugs that appeared questionable. The certifying groups learned of the misrepresentations — by dozens of Web sites — when online drug shoppers called to complain about sites they assumed had been approved or were members of the organization.
By Diane C. Lade
6 January 2008
Read the full story at sun-sentinel.com.
Posted by jclass at 01:47 AM
Lawmaker seeks to put drug origins on labels
State Sen. Sean Logan, D-Allegheny, believes people need to know where their prescription drugs are made so they don't get medicines that are counterfeit or contaminated. Logan plans to introduce legislation that would require every prescription filled in Pennsylvania to include information on where the drug was made.
BY DAVID WENNER
3 January 2008
Read the full story at pennlive.com.
Posted by jclass at 01:48 AM