News
Chinese Government Detains Close to 2,000 on Counterfeit Drug Charges
Chinese officials announced the arrest of almost 2,000 people in a counterfeit drug ring operating in China. Authorities there said the drugs discovered were responsible for causing serious ailments, such as liver & kidney damage, and heart failure.
According the Reuters, suspects in the case were advertising the sale of their drugs online, in newspapers, and even on television. More than 1,000 manufacturing facilities for counterfeit medicines were destroyed, and more than $180 million worth of counterfeit drugs.
[...]FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg Keynote Speaker at 2012 Interchange
Just announced! Dr. Margaret Hamburg, FDA Commissioner will be the keynote speaker at the 2012 Interchange, September 28th in Washington DC!
We’ve just received official confirmation that Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner of the United States Food and Drug Administration, will give the keynote speech at the 2012 Partnership for Safe Medicines Interchange. We’re very honored to have Commissioner Hamburg speak at the Interchange, and look forward to hearing her offer her expertise on the subject of counterfeit drug crime.
Dr. Hamburg is the 21st commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. She was confirmed in her post on May 18, 2009. She is only the second woman to be nominated for this position, having served previously as an Assistant Secretary at the US Department of Health and Human Services, and also as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health.
Fake online drug sellers, gray market distributors, and counterfeit medicines in the U.S.’s safe, secure drug supply chain will be subjects discussed at the 2012 Interchange in Washington DC September 28th. Please join us!
This will be the second time Commissioner Hamburg has spoken at a Partnership for Safe Medicines Interchange. She first joined us in 2010, where she addressed the problem of counterfeit drugs, “The issue of counterfeit drugs is one of both domestic and international concern. It is shocking to realize that, in some parts of the world, somewhere between 30 and 50 percent of drugs to treat serious diseases are actually counterfeit.”
Since her appearance at the 2010 Interchange, the FDA has had to contend with an increasingly globalized drug marketplace. Her continued efforts as commissioner have been to seek greater penalties for drug counterfeiters, and also give the FDA more authority to deal with counterfeit drugs when they discover them.
We hope you will join Commissioner Hamburg, Deputy Director Heddell of the MHRA, Associate Director Dinkins of the ICE Homeland Security Investigations, along with many other experts from medicine, policy, law enforcement, and patient advocacy at our 2012 Interchange in Washington DC. Discounted early registration ends August 15th, so register today!
[...]Arrest Warrant Issued for Convicted Canadian Online Pharmacy Operator
An arrest warrant has been issued by Judge Irma Gonzalez, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, in San Diego, for Canadian businessman Nathan Jacobson as a result of his failure to appear for sentencing in the vast Affpower fake online pharmacy case.
In 2007, Jacobson was one of 18 indicted on racketeering and related charges for allegedly operating an internet business that generated more than $126 million in gross revenues from the illegal sale of prescription medicines from customers across the U.S., reported the U.S. Department of Justice.
[...]WSJ Connects Counterfeit Avastin Incidents to Canadadrugs.com
In February of this year, the FDA notified 19 cancer doctors that a counterfeit version of the cancer drug Avastin had breached the U.S.’s closed, secure drug supply chain. Now 5 months later, investigations have allegedly connected the counterfeit cancer drug’s entry into the US with one of Canada’s biggest online pharmacy operations, Canadadrugs.com.
[...]PSM Applauds Launch of the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies
Partnership for Safe Medicines Executive Director Scott LaGanga released the following statement on the launch of the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP):
“Today, the Partnership for Safe Medicines is pleased to welcome another powerful ally in the fight against counterfeit drugs. It is our sincerest hope that the launch of the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies will make it far more difficult for criminals to peddle dangerous and potentially lethal fake ‘medicines’ to unsuspecting victims.
Patient Safety Threatened by Counterfeit Medications
Patient safety is the concern of every doctor, nurse, and pharmacist working in medicine today, reminded Founder of Partnership of Safe Medicines India, Bejon Misra. Counterfeit drugs impact patient safety, particularly in places where the drug supply chain is compromised.
In 2011, when asked what safe medicines meant to him, he responded simply, “Saving millions of lives.“
[...]Flood of Counterfeit Drugs Confiscated by European Border Officials in 2011
A new report by the European Commission identified a 9-fold increase in counterfeit drug seizures in the EU since 2010.
In 2011, counterfeit drug enforcement in the European Union broke up counterfeit drug rings in Spain and the United Kingdom, identified fake HIV medication in the market and convicted fake asthma inhaler distributors in the UK. The new Report on EU Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights: Results At the EU Border-2011, showed “a continuous upward trend” in counterfeit medication confiscations at the border since 2010.
[...]Instructables (2nd week), Stanford, and UNC Charlotte get Pwned!
There is a certain amount of irony in this week’s collection of pwned websites hosting fake online pharmacies. While we are a little surprised that Instructables is still hosting a site selling Xanax, and perplexed that a Criminal Justice program at UNC Charlotte would be selling Cialis without a prescription, our biggest shock was seeing…
[...]UNODC Report Highlights Lucrative Nature of Global Counterfeit Drug Trade
“What is the real reason criminals counterfeit drugs?” As Congressman Jim Matheson said at the 2011 Partnership for Safe Medicine’s Interchange “follow the money.”
A recent report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) highlights why more counterfeit drug cases are appearing in news reports. Organized crime makes billions each year off of drug counterfeiting, amongst their other activities. The UNODC estimates global counterfeiting enterprises generate $250 billion (US) in annual profits.
[...]New Zealand Citizen Pleads Guilty in US Counterfeit Drug Case
View larger map Robin Han, a citizen of New Zealand, faces up to 30 years in prison and possible $6 million fine after his guilty plea on counterfeit drug charges. US attorneys from the Central District of California prosecuted Han on charges he conducted a large scale counterfeit drug trafficking business in the United States.…
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