Policy/Enforcement News

Last year 73% of fake medicines seized at European borders were routed through the United Arab Emirates, says the European Commission.

Attorney General Eric Holder spoke at a White House forum on consumer health and safety risks related to counterfeit goods in Washington, DC on December 14, 2010. After addressing and thanking the organizers, he said, “All of us must do more to ensure the health and safety of our citizens, to protect intellectual property rights,…

The Global Fund to Fight Aids is inviting agencies in developing countries to pursue and stem drug thefts, by joining to together to share information ,as well as procurement and distribution capacities.

The Fondation Chirac held a roundtable on counterfeit medications at the two day conference, European Development Days (EDD) in Brussels on December 7th, entitled “How to Fight False Medicines.”

The panelists discussed cooperative measures to strengthen countries administrative capacities, build better health care facilities and raise awareness that fake drugs are dangerous to their countries’ peoples.

Said African entrepreneur and philanthropist Mo Ibrahim, “This is worse than drugs. People who buy heroin or cocaine, at least they know what they are buying, they are exercising their decision-making. But someone who has a heart or a kidney condition who buys fake medicine – this is an attempt at murder.”

On December 7, the State Food and Drug Administration announced that six defendants were found guilty of selling fake medicines and sentenced to 1 to 3 years imprisonment with fines.

Southern Sudan is revamping its pharmaceutical supply chain, building laboratories and monitoring units to prevent smuggling of fake drugs as it recovers from 21 years of civil war. According to Manyang Agoth, Director-General of the Pharmaceutical Services at the Southern Sudan’s Ministry of Health, the drug supply system collapsed during the civil war as “then-existing…

The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) issued a warning to the public against fake drugs and vitamin supplements that they believe have proliferated the country’s markets. Counterfeit drugs may contain harmful ingredients or lack the necessary ingredients and have low concentration of active ingredients that may impact efficacy, said DOH Regional Director Myrna Cabotaje in…

Five British residents have been accused of importing into the UK fake cancer drugs, fake heart disease medicine, and fake schizophrenia medication from China worth millions of pounds.

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In Argentina, 40 raids were conducted as part of continuing investigations into counterfeit and illegal drug distribution by organized crime.

The National Bureau of Investigation of the Philippines seized more than P25 million worth of fake drugs allegedy imported form India, Pakistan and Singapore and arrested a person involved in the distribution and sales of the confiscated medications. Agent Terrence Agustin, of the NBI Intellectual Property Rights Division (IPRD) informed reporters that Renante Dumasig, 35,…