Minnesota County Encourages Drug Disposal Program

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has scheduled a drug take-back day for September 25 to help prevent the theft of pharmaceuticals, but one community has decided to take the idea to the next level. Minnesota’s Chisago County Sheriff’s Department and Environmental Services recently introduced a permanent drug take-back box at Rush City Hall, according to…

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Indonesian Demand Spurs Fake Drug Market

Demand for medication in Indonesia keeps the counterfeit drug trade going, according to an official. Speaking in Jakarta, Erita Harun from the United States Department of Justices’ International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) Indonesia said that drug counterfeiters will resort to virtually anything in their quest to make money off of fake medication, according…

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RogueAd

Image of Defendant’s AdWords advertisement from complaint

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Google Lawsuit Against Online Pharmacies Details Adwords Violations

In Google’s law suit complaint filed September 21, 2010, online pharmacy advertisers violated the Terms and Conditions required for AdWords use and circumvented the automated monitoring systems.

Google named two domain names, www.4rx-online.com, which is no longer operating, and www.onlinedrpharmacy.com, which is still operational. Neither domain name appears in the VIPPS database. Google requires VIPPS verification as a prerequisite for AdWords engagement.

In addition, LegitScript, which uses pharmacy verification standards recognized by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy identifies both pharmacies as “rogue pharmacies” and says each site, “intentionally or knowingly…1. violates, appears to violate, or encourages violation of Federal or state law or regulation; 2. does not adhere to accepted standards of medicine and/or pharmacy practice, including standards of safety; and/or 3. engages in fraudulent or deceptive business practices.”

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Nigerian State Revives Agency to Fight Counterfeit Drugs

A Nigerian state has revitalized a program to help rid the area of counterfeit drugs. Speaking to the Pharmaceutical Association of Nigerian Students (PANS), the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Peter Ugbodaga, said that the Edo State would bring back its Essential Drug Project (EDP) to help fight the scourge of counterfeit…

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Florida Police Investigate Theft of Pharmaceuticals

A Florida sheriff’s department is currently investigating a theft of pharmaceuticals that took place recently. SNN Local News 6 reported that the owner of the Medical Arts Pharmacy on Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota County returned one morning and found the front door of his establishment smashed. Local police told the news provider that it…

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Police Arrest Suspect in Two Pharmaceutical Thefts

A woman who was accused of two pharmaceutical thefts was recently arrested in Florida. Corey Bradley is being charged with pharmaceutical thefts at the Kmart in Orange City, Florida, and another at the Winn-Dixie on Howland Boulevard in Deltona, Florida, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal. In the Winn-Dixie theft, Bradley allegedly brandished a handgun…

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Google AdWords Used by Rogue Pharmacies

Google has filed a civil action in Federal Court against fifty-two individuals alleged to have violated the terms of AdWords to promote fraudulent drug sales.

In a complaint filed in Federal Court in San Jose, CA, Google “seeks to stop rogue online pharmaceutical sellers” from using Google’s AdWords advertising network. Two defendants, Omar Jackman and John Doe “Simon” were named, and 50 others are “individuals whose true identities and locations are unknown.”

Google states in the complaint that “Google prohibits the promotion of online pharmacies and prescription drugs except under specific circumstances. Google allows ads targeting the United States to promote online pharmacy websites only if the advertised website is verified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy’s Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (“VIPPS”) program.

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