PSM’s Scott LaGanga to Japan Medical Association: Counterfeit Medicines a Global Health Menace

PSM Executive Director Urges Greater International Cooperation in Major Address to the Japan Medical Association TOKYO, JAPAN (September 19, 2013) – Partnership for Safe Medicines Executive Director Scott LaGanga stressed the urgent need for greater global education and collaboration to fight the growing health threat posed by counterfeit and substandard medicines in an address to…

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Russian Programmer Responsible for Millions of “Canadian Pharmacy” Spam Emails Lands in Moscow Court

Igor Artimovich utilized a “botnet” program called Festi, to infect computers all over the globe, turning them into automated spamming servers. His arrest and court appearance has exposed Russia’s shadowy underworld linking spam servers, identity theft, and counterfeit drug criminal organizations. The ubiquitous “Canadian pharmacy” advertisements that regularly appear in consumer email inboxes seem innocuous…

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Drug Theft = Drug Diversion: Prescription Drugs Stolen from Shipment in Modesto

Click image to download Simple Steps for Safe Sourcing (pdf) This month, prescription medication was stolen from an unattended courier van in Modesto. Why would anyone steal prescription drugs? Because they can be sold on the black market and also used to “salt” batches of counterfeit drugs to fool inspectors. On August 22, a batch…

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7 Ohio Cancer Specialists Charged with Buying Fake Drugs

Seven oncologists in six different Ohio cities have been charged with illegally importing misbranded, non-FDA approved cancer medication. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is reporting that seven Ohio cancer doctors are facing allegations of importing non-FDA approved cancer medications. The seven were each charged with a misdemeanor, “causing the shipment of misbranded drugs.” The…

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Illegal Pharmaceutical Wholesaler in Virginia that Posed As Canadian Shuttered After Indictment of Owners

11 people have been indicted in an $8.6 million prescription drug importation scheme. Gallant Pharma International allegedly imported non-FDA approved drugs into the United States, then repackaged the drugs with US labels. Gallant Pharma posed as a Canadian pharmaceutical company shipping low-cost drugs from Canada to the U.S. The drugs sold by Gallant Pharma, including…

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FDA Warns Consumers to Beware Bogus Diabetes Treatments

Images of bogus diabetes treatments courtesy of the FDA. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning diabetics to beware of illegal “natural” remedies for the treatment of diabetes. They pose a serious health danger to diabetics, and are part of the growing trend amongst drug counterfeiters pushing fake natural medications. The FDA has…

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Clinical Oncology Tackles Counterfeit Chemotherapy in 2-Part Article

In a two-part series, Clinical Oncology takes a look at the recurrent counterfeit cancer medication scares that have occurred in the last year. The impact on oncologists has been dramatic, with sentencing announced for one doctor, with more prosecutions possibly looming on the horizon. They note that to date, 155 medical practices in the United…

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