Archive for 2013
The US Government Accountability Office Releases Condemning Report on Fake Internet Pharmacies
The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) has just released a new report on the growing threat of fake Internet pharmacies in the United States. Its findings underscore the difficulty of enforcing US laws on foreign-based Internet pharmacies, and the imperative need for public outreach to educate consumers about the dangers of counterfeit drugs. Internet…
[...]British Owner of Fake Cancer Drug Distributor Sentenced in Federal Court
On July 11 2013 in Saint Louis, Richard J. Taylor of the United Kingdom was sentenced to 18 months in prison and required to forfeit close for $4 million in fines and penalties for his role in introducing counterfeit cancer medication into the secure U.S. drug supply chain. Taylor’s company, Richards Pharma had been found…
[...]INTERPOL-Led Sting Operation Shuts Down Over 9,600 Illegal Internet Pharmacies, Seizes $41 Million in Fake, Dangerous or Unapproved Drugs
PSM’s Member PSI Aids Investigators in Largest Global Operation of its Kind Washington, D.C. (June 27, 2013) – The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) applauds INTERPOL and the nearly 100 countries who took part in Operation Pangea VI, the largest global sting operation to date targeting the online sale of illegal prescription medicines. One of PSM’s…
[...]La Jolla Doctor Sentenced to Probation, Required to Pay over $2 million in Fines For Purchasing Misbranded Cancer Medication
View larger map A La Jolla oncologist, Doctor Joel I. Bernstein, has pled guilty to charges he purchased unapproved foreign cancer medications and defrauded Medicare by claiming credit for the drugs as if they were genuine. On Tuesday July 2nd, Bernstein was sentenced to one year of probation, and required to pay over $2 million…
[...]Pangea VI International Enforcement Operation Shuts Down 9,600 Fake Online Pharmacies
Interpol-coordinated global operation targeted fake online pharmacy trade, netted over $41 million worth of counterfeit medication, and shut down more than 9,600 fake online pharmacies. Fake versions of drugs used to treat diabetes symptoms, arthritis, and schizophrenia were seized as part of the operation. 58 arrests have been made. On June 27, 2013, Interpol announced…
[...]Counterfeit Drugs in America 101
Counterfeit Drugs in America 101: a SAFEMEDICINES Tutorial for Healthcare Provider Associations July 18, 2013. Washington DC Every month brings a new story about healthcare providers in America encountering, ordering, and in some cases delivering non-FDA-approved medications from outside the secure supply chain to patients. The safety dangers to patients are paramount, but such activities…
[...]Foreign Fake Pharmacies Take Money From Teens, No Prescription Needed
A recent WUSA-9 story looked at the growing problem of American teens who are buying prescription medication online from foreign-based online pharmacies that demand neither proof of age nor prescription. The growing problem of fake online pharmacies is of particular concern for parents trying to protect their children from dangerous drugs and toxic fakes. In…
[...]Canadian Appeals Court Shuts Down Ontario Operations of Global Pharmacy Canada
On June 10th, 2013, Global Pharmacy Canada, a fake Internet pharmacy based in Belize, was forced by the Ontario Court of Appeal to shut down offices in Toronto for violating Ontario’s professional pharmacy rules. Global Pharmacy Canada was originally cited by Health Canada for marketing drugs to Canadians that were not of Canadian origin on…
[...]Second Tennessee Doctor Charged with Using Misbranded Cancer Drugs on Patients
A second Johnson City doctor was charged with purchasing misbranded cancer drugs just days after Dr. William Kincaid was sentenced to 2 years for his role in purchasing & administering questionable cancer medication from non-FDA approved foreign suppliers. According to the indictment (Download Sen Indictment) released on June 11, 2013 by the U.S. District Court in Greeneville,…
[...]Kentucky Doctor Arrested For Implanting Fake IUDs in Women
A Kentucky doctor is facing numerous charges including Medicare fraud for purchasing misbranded IUD contraceptive devices from a pair of fake online pharmacies and dispensing them to unsuspecting patients. Canh Jeff Vo, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky was charged with 13 counts including illegal drug importation, Medicaid fraud, health care fraud and mail fraud for deceiving his…
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