Archive for 2007
Kenya: Fake Medicines Flood Country
Kenya is still ranked among countries with the highest levels of fake medicines in the world. A recent World Health Organisation update says that a random survey by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board showed that almost 30 per cent of drugs sold in the country were counterfeits – some of them being no more than…
[...]Police destroy illegal medicines
Jakarta Police on Wednesday destroyed at least Rp 25 billion (US$2.7 million) worth of unlicensed medicines. Chief Insp. Gen. Adang Firman said eradicating illegal medicines was one of the police's top priorities. "Everyone needs medicine, but many people are tempted to buy illegal drugs because they're cheaper, although the medicines might be dangerous," he said…
[...]Buying Medicine Online: What You Need To Know
Because of the high cost of prescription drugs, more and more people are buying their medicine online in the hopes of saving time and money. Unfortunately, not all of the online pharmacies are on the up-and-up. We're taking action with the information you need and the questions you need to ask to determine if the…
[...]Don’t Harbour the Patent Pirates
People are calling Marcia Bergeron the proverbial canary in the coalmine. The British Columbia woman was found dead in her home last December, filled by chemicals laced with lethal heavy metals believed to have been packed into a counterfeit pill she bought over the internet. She had ingested a drug produced in south-east Asia or…
[...]Counterfeit Medical Products – How To Be Sure You’re Getting the Right Thing
Most people think of watches, DVDs, shoes and purses when they think of counterfeit items in the U.S. market. What about counterfeit prescription drugs, healthcare products or medical devices? Despite vigilance on the part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and law enforcement, counterfeiting of healthcare products and medical devices and components has…
[...]When is enough, enough?
The latest recall of yet another Chinese-made toy keeps the dangers of counterfeits front and center for parents, consumer watch groups and legislators. This time, 4.2 million toys were pulled from shelves in U.S. stores and Internet sites following a link made between the toy and 2 children who had fallen seriously ill after ingesting…
[...]How to stay safe if you buy medicine online
By now, anyone who reads my column knows I am a devoted fan of comparison shopping. Why? It arms us with the knowledge of what things should cost. And that, my friends, is how you know when you're scoring a great deal. But when it comes to buying medication online, finding a great deal is…
[...]Save a little but lose big online
How much can you "save" by buying cheap drugs over the Internet? Be careful, consumers. You may, in fact, be paying for dangerous knockoffs that could cost a lot more than you bargained for. In August, knockoffs of Johnson & Johnson's OneTouch Test Strips were traced to China. One year prior, they had surfaced in…
[...]DOJ Cracks Down on Internet Pharmacy
Six men face charges of illegally distributing drugs through an Internet pharmacy, and the U.S. Department of Justice is seeking forfeiture of more than US$40 million in profit from the operation. The men, from the U.S. and Puerto Rico, were indicted Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa in Cedar Rapids,…
[...]Nigeria: Fake Chemicals, Not Doctors, Cause Wrong Diagnosis
The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Dora Akunyili yesterday said fake chemicals used for the manufacture of drugs and diagnosis in laboratories were responsible for most health problems in the country. The DG, NAFDAC who was fielding questions from news men at the induction of…
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