News
Czech Police Find Hundreds of Thousands of Fake Pills
Czech police announced today that they busted an organized crime ring that had a factory that made “hundreds of thousands of [counterfeit] tablets.” The crime ring, composed of ex-athletes, body builders, fitness trainers and coaches, produced and sold counterfeit anabolic steroids and other hormone-based drugs, reports Czech Position. The police’s unit for combating organized crime,…
[...]Friend Relives Details of Death from Medicine Purchased Online
Glenda Billerbeck, visiting for Christmas, said goodbye to her friend Marcia Bergeron, not knowing the flu she thought her friend had was actually heavy metal poisoning which would kill her the same day.
[...]Self-Sufficiency Key to Secure Medicine
Nigerian leader, Dr. Paul Orhii, discussed the difficulties of keeping the drug supply free from counterfeit medicines, including porous borders, lack of resources, and the dependence upon foreign medication for their own health.
In an interview with Winifred Ogbedo in magazine Leadership, Dr. Orhii, the director-general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), discussed the strides he’s been able to make to improve the safety of medication available to Nigerians, and the biggest obstacles to overcome, notably the development of domestically controlled medicine manufacturing.
Dr. Orhii is seeking to develop a domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing business because he says, “it’s a national security issue,” with 70% of essential medications imported from out of country.
[...]Counterfeit Drugs Removed from Manilla Shelves
A test-buy conducted by Filipino National Bureau of Investigation agents determined counterfeit medicines were being mass distributed by a drug store chain throughout The Philippines. Agents conducted raids of Sincere Drug Store branches and its warehouse facility in Bacolod City in June, acting on complaints that counterfeits of medications produced by legitimate Filipino manufacturers…
[...]New Spectral Database for Counterfeit Drugs
Swiss researchers have developed a database of fake medicines using Raman spectrometry data in order to help investigators follow the counterfeit distribution chain from manufacturers to distributors internationally. The University of Lausanne and Roche are using near-infrared and Raman spectra, as well as gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy…
[...]Harrisburg Pharmacist Sentenced for Running Fake Online Pharmacy
A Pennsylvania licensed pharmacist who operated a brick and mortar pharmacy in Harrisburg, PA, was sentenced to 51 months in prison for illegally distribution pain medication and stimulants over the internet. Stephen L. Marks, 67, formerly of Carlisle, PA, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute controlled substances and money laundering. At his plea, he admitted…
[...]Americans Using Fake Pharmacies to Treat Serious Illness More than EU and Canada
Screenshot of an Eva brand fake online pharmacy UCSD researchers have collected data that shows that 33% of medications purchased by Americans from a fake Internet pharmacy affiliate program are for serious illness. They estimate that 85% of all serious illness medication purchased online from fake online pharmacies is purchased by Americans. Researchers at the University…
[...]Counterfeit Medicine Distributors Sentenced in the UK
Two Bristol men pleaded guilty in Bristol Crown Court to supplying and distributing counterfeit medication made in China to the UK and Europe. Graham Dawson, 29, admitted he contacted counterfeit drug producers in China and used Colin Proctor, 29, to send shipments received from China to destinations across the UK and Europe, reported the Bristol…
[...]Illinois Man Convicted of Shipping Meds for Fake Online Pharmacy
An Illinois resident pleaded guilty in Federal Court to conspiracy to distribute and dispenses Schedule III and IV controlled substances and to illegal use of a communication facility to facilitate a drug crime by shipping drug orders for fake online pharmacy customers. Steven B. Immergluck, 35, of Aurora, IL, pleaded guilty without a trial. Immergluck…
[...]More than Half of all Sales to Rogue Internet Pharmacies Were Processed by the Top 7 Banks
The top seven card-issuing banks were processors for more than half of all medicine sales to the largest fake Internet pharmacies in the past four years. Brian Krebs reports that sales data stolen from Glavmed, a Russian affiliate program that pays webmasters to host and promote fake online pharmacies, show that card-issuing banks are key…
[...]