Archive for 2010
Shepherd M.* Beef up international cooperation on counterfeits. Nat Med. 2010;16(4):366.
Counterfeit drugs are a menacing and deadly problem worldwide. The proliferation of fake drugs is astounding, with over 100 countries reporting incidents of fake drugs, according to a 2008 report from the Pharmaceutical Security Institute. And incidents of drug counterfeiting show no evidence of declining: some industry insiders suggest that the number of counterfeit medicines…
[...]PSM Delivers Recommendations to IPEC Regarding the Joint Strategic Plan
Given the growing threat of counterfeit drugs around the world, the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) goes to great lengths to inform and educate consumers, health care professionals and policymakers about this multifaceted issue. Most recently, we submitted recommendations to the office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC) following its request for comments regarding…
[...]World Health Organization. Growing Threat from Counterfeit Medicines. Bull World Health Organ. 2010;88(4):247-8.
Lifesaving drugs are not exempt from the trade in counterfeit medicines. The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with Interpol to dislodge the criminal networks raking in billions of dollars from this cynical trade. Growing Threat from Counterfeit Medicines
[...]Yahoo Fails to Address Counterfeit Drugs in Remarks to FDA
At the end of February, the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) answered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) call for comments on their docket concerning the Promotion of FDA-Regulated Medical Products Using the Internet and Social Media Tools. We submitted our recommendations on the tail of Google’s change to its online advertising policies, requiring…
[...]PSM Vice President Expecting Full House for Counterfeit Drug Conference
Each year, Partnership for Safe Medicines Vice President Dr. Bryan Liang hosts a health policy conference in San Diego. We’re happy to report that all seats have been filled for his March 26, 2010 conference, “Pharmaceutical Crime: Investigating and Prosecuting Drug Diversion and Counterfeiting,” sponsored by the Institute of Health Law Studies at the California…
[...]Nigeria Using SMS to Thwart Counterfeit Drugs
Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has launched a text messaging service that can verify whether a drug is counterfeit or the real thing. The Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) allows anyone in Nigeria to check the authenticity of their medicines. How it works: A card attached to each medicine pack…
[...]Ghodse H. Watching Internet Pharmacies. Br J Psychiatry. 2010;196:169-170.
The number of illegal internet pharmacies selling prescription-only medicines without a prescription is increasing. Large quantities of drugs are dispensed, making drugs of abuse readily available, and further risks are posed by counterfeit medication. Urgent national and international action is required to stop further proliferation of illegal pharmacies. Watching Internet Pharmacies
[...]FDA / Sirius Alert: Nearly 12,000 Kits of ClindaReach® Pledgets Stolen from Truck
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received warning of nearly 12,000 kits of ClindaReach® Pledgets, (Clindamycin Phosphate Topical Solution UPS, 1%), a topical acne treatment, which were stolen from a tractor-trailer on or around February 7, 2010 while in transit. The theft occurred in Monroe, Ohio. According to the manufacturer, Sirius—a wholly owned subsidiary…
[...]PSM Delivers Social Media Recommendations to the FDA
If you’re familiar with the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM), you’re familiar with our goal: to mitigate the threat of counterfeit and unsafe medicines to patients. The internet and social media have been both a hindrance to our efforts—giving legs to unlicensed online pharmacies, search engine advertising and spam—and a help—providing a tool for outreach…
[...]Tomić S, Milcić N, Sokolić M, Martinac AI. Identification of counterfeit medicines for erectile dysfunction from an illegal supply chain. Arh Hig Rada Toksikol. 2010;61(1):69-75.
The appearance of counterfeit medicines in supply chains is a global public health problem that may seriously affect patients. Counterfeit drugs do not meet quality standards and do not declare their real composition and/or source for the purposes of fraud. They may be generic or innovative, they may contain genuine constituents in a fake packaging,…
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