Texas Physician Pleads Guilty to Importing Cancer Medication from Supplier of Fake Avastin
On April 23, 2015, Dr. Mohamed Ayman Ghraowi pleaded guilty to charges that he and his South Texas Comprehensive Cancer Centers PLLC caused the introduction into interstate commerce of misbranded prescription cancer drugs worth more than $900,000, from CanadaDrugs subsidiary Montana Healthcare Solutions. His indictment noted that he purchased misbranded cancer drugs from Montana Healthcare Solutions between Feb. 22, 2010, and Jan. 17, 2012. In October 2015, Dr. Ghraowi filed suit against the CanadaDrugs subsidiary for destroying both his business and his career.
Who: FDA – Office of Criminal Investigations, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the Texas Attorney General’s Office – Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
When: April 23, 2015, 2010-2012.
Where: Corpus Christi, Texas
How: Investigation by FDA – Office of Criminal Investigations
Additional details: Additional Details: In 2012, the United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency informed the FDA that counterfeit versions of the cancer drug Avastin had been discovered. Regulators determined that some of this counterfeit cancer medication may have been illegally imported into the United States. FDA investigators tracked the counterfeit drugs to a distributor offering numerous misbranded foreign drugs for sale to cancer clinics in the United States. Dr. Ghraowi was identified through their investigations as one of the buyers of these misbranded foreign drugs.
Related sources:
“ Doctor Sues Firms That Sold Him Bad Drugs Courthouse News Service,” US District Court, District of Montana October 13, 2015.
“Cancer Center Guilty of Purchasing Misbranded Foreign Drugs,”
FDA. April 23, 2015
“Corpus Christi Doctor guilty of purchasing misbranded foreign drugs,” Action 10 KZTV. April 23, 2015
“FDA visits local oncologist in ongoing probe into distribution of fake cancer drug,” Corpus Christi Caller Times March 8, 2012