Archive for 2008
New Report Highlights Concern Over Growing Problem of Counterfeit Drugs in the EU
The proliferation of counterfeit drugs on the global market and easy availability via online pharmacies is an increasing problem. The makers of counterfeit drugs have enjoyed and profited from loopholes in a system designed to deliver healthy medicines to those in need. The rising cost of prescription medications and the ubiquitous presence of online and…
[...]Spammers Beware
Earlier this month, the Los Angels Times published a story that explored the extremely profitable relationship between spammers and drug counterfeiters. For some time now, spammers have made money by sending countless emails to the public and then charging the credit cards of those who responded for products which never existed. In some case, the spammers sold that credit card information to other criminals.
[...]Virginia cracks down on counterfeiters
WASHINGTON – It's not exactly Elliot Ness and "The Untouchables," but Virginia is now much tougher on counterfeiters. If you're caught with 100 or more counterfeit items worth $200 or more, you face the prospect of a felony conviction, which carries a prison sentence of up to five years. By Hank Silverberg 2 July 2008…
[...]Prescription drug ring bust
PRICHARD, Ala. — Prichard Police are slamming the door on a prescription drug ring responsible for more than 300 fake prescriptions. "For the city of Prichard, this is the first one that we've encountered that has the magnitude that we normally see when we're dealing with cocaine and marijuana," said Prichard Police Chief Lawrence Battiste…
[...]Woman dies after buying banned slimming pills on the internet
A young woman desperate to lose weight died in agony a day after taking a lethal dose of a banned fat-burning drug she bought over the internet. Selena Walrond, who weighed 15st and was 5ft 3in tall, was so obsessed with being slim that she took five times the recommended daily dose. By Rebecca Camber27…
[...]The Threat Keeps Rising
On a daily basis, many individuals unknowingly risk death or serious injury to their health by taking counterfeit drugs. As executive director of the Pharmaceutical Security Institute (PSI), I see first-hand how counterfeiters thrive in countries where the anti-counterfeiting laws are weak; the drug regulatory agencies are underfunded and understaffed; and legal sanctions are ineffective.
[...]Fake erectile dysfunction drugs flooding Vancouver
Police and customs agencies are intercepting frequent shipments of counterfeit erectile dysfunction drugs coming into Canada through Vancouver, an RCMP expert attempting to rein in the illegal industry said Monday. Some of the counterfeit drugs are as much as 50-per-cent stronger than the genuine product, said Cpl. Norm Massie of the RCMP’s Border Integrity Program.…
[...]FDA Warns Companies to Stop Selling Fake Cancer Cures
(HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has sent letters warning more than two dozen companies to stop selling fraudulent products that claim to prevent or cure cancer. The agency is also cautioning consumers not to buy or use these products, which include tablets, teas, tonics, black salves, and creams, and are sold…
[...]Sierra Leone: Pharmacy Board Destroys Le 31 Million Fake Drugs
The Sierra Leone Pharmacy Board has destroyed sub-standard and counterfeit drugs worth over Le 31 million at the Kenema Government Hospital. Pharmacy board chairman for Kenema and Kailahun districts, Sahr Sylvanus Komba said all the destroyed drugs do not have any seal of origin and they come into Sierra Leone through the country's porous borders…
[...]Kenya: Dodgy Drugs Hamper Fight Against Malaria
The presence of large quantities of ineffective or counterfeit anti-malarial drugs on the Kenyan market is hampering efforts to fight the disease, according to health officials. "Some of the counterfeit drugs are substandard and usually do not have the active ingredients required to treat malaria," Dorothy Otieno, an officer in the Ministry of Medical Services'…
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