Archive for March 2011
Protective Services for Senior Citizens Focus on Counterfeit Drug Scams
Instances of elderly exploitation are rising and protective services in Pike County are taking a lead in educating senior citizens to avoid counterfeit drug scams. Providing services for senior citizens over the age of 60, Robin LoDolce, the Executive Director for the Pike aging office, is concerned about the recent trends in exploitation, reports the…
[...]Ireland’s On a Dangerous Diet of Illegal Online Pharmacies
The Irish medicines Board (IMB) detained almost double the quantity of counterfeit and illegal medicines in 2010 as it did in 2009 with a 500% increase in the quantity of illegal weight loss products many of which contained the dangerous drug sibutramine which can cause heart attack and stroke. IMB said there was a 66%…
[...]Prescription Drug Safety Hill Briefing: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at Noon
Tom Kubic at the Congressional briefing on March 30, 2011. See all the photos. Counterfeit drugs – like the 20,000 pills seized last month by U.S. Customs official at Kennedy Airport in New York – defraud consumers and deny patients therapies that can alleviate suffering and save lives. Unfortunately, in some cases, these drugs have caused great…
[...]Carcinogenic Pill Hawker Sentenced to Three Months
Philadelphia resident Mimi Trieu, 46, was sentenced on March 10th to three months in prison for importing and distributing four million fake diet pills that contained a carcinogenic chemical solvent among other dangerous ingredients. The U.S. Department of Justice announced her sentencing was a result of her guilty plea to an 18 count indictment including…
[...]Potassium Iodide
Potassium Iodide Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons
[...]Watch Out for Fake Radiation Preventatives Warns FDA
Due to public concern related to the nuclear incident in Japan, the FDA is warning consumers to be wary of drugs falsely touting radiation exposure treatment.
Potassium iodide (KI) has been approved by the FDA to prevent thyroid cancer in people internally contaminated with radioactive iodine, however the U.S. government is not recommending that residents take KI, even as a preventative. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission indicates that no part of the U.S. is expected to experience any harmful levels of radioactivity.
The FDA is warning consumers to be wary of internet sites and retail outlets promoting products that make claims to prevent or treat radiation, these claims may be false and the products may not be FDA approved.
[...]Alleged Fake Cancer Drug Conspirator Pleads Ignorance
Ex-chief of a British pharmaceutical wholesaler, Richard Kemp, pleaded ignorance on the stand when accused of conspiring to sell counterfeit cancer medication made in Singapore to British residents. The Flintshire Chronicle reports that he says he didn’t know he was funding a counterfeit operation when he agreed to bankroll Consolidated Medical Supplies (CMS) and their…
[...]California Man Admits to Selling Counterfeit Drugs
A California resident pleaded guilty on March 17th, 2011 to selling counterfeit drugs, illegally imported from China, on craigslist.com. United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that Troy James Taylor, 39, of Elk Grove, CA, pleaded guilty to selling fake drugs from May 2007 through March of 2008 after being caught receiving a package of…
[...]White House Recommends New Legislation to Fight Counterfeit Drugs
On March 15, The White House issued legislative recommendations to Congress and advocated for increased vigilance in the fight against fake medicine. Victoria Espinel, U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, said on the White House blog that “we are seeking six legislative changes to fight counterfeits drugs, including increased criminal penalties for counterfeit drug offenses, particularly…
[...]London Residents Suspected of Producing and Selling Fake Drugs Online
£1 million pounds of suspected fake medicine was seized by British agents of The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and three men were arrested in London. Three residencies were raided, as well as a storage unit, in the north and east areas of London where more than 300,000 tablets of fake medications were…
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