Policy/Enforcement News
White House Recommends New Legislation to Fight Counterfeit Drugs
On March 15, The White House issued legislative recommendations to Congress and advocated for increased vigilance in the fight against fake medicine. Victoria Espinel, U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, said on the White House blog that “we are seeking six legislative changes to fight counterfeits drugs, including increased criminal penalties for counterfeit drug offenses, particularly…
[...]Judiciary Committee Will Help Stop Fake Drug Sellers Promises Sen. Leahy
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said his panel would take up legislation to combat counterfeit medication distribution following a “60 Minutes” story exposing the importation of fake drugs into the U.S. each year Sen. Leahy said he was developing legislation to give the Justice Department stronger tools to fight counterfeit medicine sellers,…
[...]Judiciary Committee Will Help Stop Fake Drug Sellers Promises Sen. Leahy
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said his panel would take up legislation to combat counterfeit medication distribution following a “60 Minutes” story exposing the importation of fake drugs into the U.S. each year Sen. Leahy said he was developing legislation to give the Justice Department stronger tools to fight counterfeit medicine sellers,…
[...]Bulk Medicine Theft from Manufacturer in Australia
An Australian pharmaceutical company was broken into and robbed of almost 260 pounds of prescription medication on March 7, 2011. The Australian company, Jalco Group, was robbed of 110 pounds of pseudoephedrine and 150 pounds o opioid analgesic codeine estimated by the police to be worth be resold on the street for $43 milion, reports…
[...]Senators Propose Stronger Penalties for Drug Theft
A proposal to increase the penalties for stealing medical products by bringing medical theft under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law has been brought before the Senate. Supported by Sens. Bill Nelson of Florida, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Charles Schumer of New York and Jay…
[...]Weak Health Systems Spread Counterfeit Drugs and Drug Resistant Malaria
Successes from the use of artemisinin combination therapies have reduced malaria-related child mortality in half in parts of Africa. However counterfeit artemisinin drugs with lower than prophylactic dosages are creating resistance and turning the tide against the children of Africa. Karen Masterson reports for The Henry L. Stimson Center that malarial parasites “have neutralized the…
[...]Sold Medicine by the Millions without Prescriptions, Admits American Lawyer
Pharmacy by 12th St David via Flickr. Robert Smoley, a 59 year-old Miami-Dade lawyer, pleaded guilty in federal court to selling millions of pharmaceutical drugs without prescriptions over the Internet on March 3, 2011. Smoley admitted that he distributed in excess of $48 million worth of medicine through the mail. Federal agents said after accepting…
[...]Hungarian Government Increases Fake Meds Vigilance
Hungarian National Anti-Counterfeit Board (HENT) announced that starting March 1, 2011, a new law on counterfeit drugs will increase fines on unlicensed producers and traders to HUF 100,000. The purpose of the new law is to restrict unlawful profiteering and prevent fakes from entering the legitimate supply chain. The new law commissions officials to confiscate…
[...]8% of U.S. Prescription Drugs are Smuggled Via Pharmacy Scams
8% of prescription drugs available in the United States are smuggled via online drug scams involving internet pharmacies that sell to Americans. Val Kennedy, pharmaceuticals reporter for the Wall Street Journal’s Marketwatch interviewed Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Bruce Foucart about the risks of online drug purchasing, and prescription drug smuggling…
[...]Russian Online Pharmacy Supplying Americans with Pain Pills Prescription-Free
Internal documents from ChronoPay, Russia’s largest processor of online payments, have shown that a Russian rogue pharmacy program called Rx-Promotion sold millions of controlled pills including Valium, Percocet, Tramadol and Oxycodone, in 2010 alone, mostly to Americans, without prescription requirements. Reporter Brian Krebs interviewed Pavel Vrublevsky in February 2011, the founder of ChronoPay, and also…
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