Archive for 2006
Counterfeit lipitor found again in the United Kingdom
OTTAWA – Health Canada is informing consumers about a batch of counterfeit Lipitor (the brand name for atorvastatin) found on the market in the United Kingdom. This drug is used to treat high cholesterol. The counterfeit Lipitor has a lot number of 004405K1, with an expiration date of "11 2007." The counterfeit Lipitor was originally…
[...]5 indicted in illegal sale of drugs
A federal grand jury yesterday indicted five people and a local pharmacy in an alleged conspiracy to illegally distribute weight-loss drugs over the Internet. The operation, run by a California-based Internet company, Rx Medical One, netted more than $33.6 million in illicit proceeds, the indictment alleged. By MICHAEL HINKELMAN02 August 2006 Read the full story…
[...]PLA hits bogus medical claims
CHINA'S armed forces health department yesterday published a list of 16 bogus military medical institutions advertising fake drugs, as it battles health fraud. "These bogus military institutions advertised fake drugs in newspapers, magazines and on Websites, posing a serious threat to public health and to the image of the People's Liberation Army," said the Health…
[...]High tariffs on drugs breeds counterfeit medicines
Accra, July 27, GNA – High tariffs and taxes on imported medicines in Ghana and other African countries are driving many people to traditional quack cures or to cheap counterfeit medicines. Ghana places 22.3 per cent levy on imported drugs; Congo-Kinshasa, 39.5 per cent; Morocco, 18.3 per cent and Zimbabwe, 22.5 per cent. Brazil, whom…
[...]China says fifth of all goods not up to scratch
BEIJING, July 27 (Reuters) – More than a fifth of all Chinese goods from dumplings to electric blankets fail to meet quality standards, creating potential health and safety risks, officials said on Thursday. They blamed the prevalence of fake and shoddy goods on the underdeveloped state of the economy and said counterfeiters were becoming more…
[...]Distributor charged with selling bogus livestock antibiotics
A national distributor of antibiotics for livestock has been charged with selling counterfeit medication, money laundering, interstate fraud and other offenses. According to a federal indictment issued last week and unsealed Tuesday, Bruce Ray Noyes, a California drug reseller and chief executive of Animal Pharmaceuticals, approved selling bogus drugs in deals valued at $1.47 million…
[...]Investigators bust fake medicine manufacturers in taichung
Taipei, July 26 (CNA) The Investigation Bureau under the Ministry of Justice has busted a fake medicine operation in Taichung and seized 300 kg of counterfeit drugs, a spokesman for the bureau said Wednesday. The spokesman said a mobile unit of the bureau in Taichung raided the warehouse and a distribution center in Taichung the…
[...]Fake drugs, currency flood markets
SPURIOUS DRUGS CAN maim a society and counterfeit currency can make a serious dent in any country's economy. And if both float together they can wreak havoc. If sources are correct the ugly tentacles of spurious drugs and counterfeit currency notes have spread so far and wide that hardly any district of the State is…
[...]Can you tell which pills are fake?
At a time when more people are looking to save money on prescription drugs, their exposure to counterfeit drugs is rising, says Pfizer's head of counterfeit intelligence. Phony medicines are increasingly making it across U.S. borders, often via Internet sales, and creating a threat to consumer safety, says John Theriault, a former FBI agent who…
[...]Fake Lipitor lingers in supply chain
Fake Lipitor lingers in supply chain The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has reissued its safety warning after it was discovered that a recall in July 2005 of batch 004405K1 of Lipitor 20mg tablets had left some fake tablets with pharmacists. These tablets contain lovastatin as an active ingredient as opposed to…
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