Policy/Enforcement News
Illinois Man Accused of Selling Counterfeit Drugs
An Illinois man is currently facing charges that he sold counterfeit drugs. Wail T. Salem of Orland Park, Illinois, is accused of selling thousands of items that falsely bore the name of Pfizer Incorporated, a respected pharmaceutical company, according to the Chicago Tribune. It is believed that Salem made more than $100,000 through his alleged…
[...]Man to Forfeit $29 Million in Illegal Online Pharmacy Case
A Texas man was recently found guilty of running an illegal online pharmacy that distributed pain killers. From August 2000 to November 2007, David Allen Vogel, along with several others, operated an online pharmacy that sold millions of hydrocodone pills and other controlled drugs to people without a valid prescription, according to KFDM, a CBS…
[...]Utah Doctor Sentenced to Three Years for Illegal Online Pharmacy
A Utah doctor is being sent to jail for his connection to an illegal online pharmacy that sold more than eight million weight-loss pills manufactured in Mexico. Dr James A Brinton was sentenced to three years in a federal penitentiary after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute phentermine and conspiracy to commit international money…
[...]Man Gets Five Years for Running Illegal Online Pharmacy
A Georgia man was recently sentenced to more than five years in prison for running an illegal online pharmacy. Christopher Stoufflet helped start a business called eScriptsmd.com in 2001 that sold prescription medications over the internet, according to the AtlantaJournal-Constitution. Two years ago, Stoufflet pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and to commit…
[...]THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Vice President, June 22, 2010
REMARKS BY THE VICE PRESIDENT AND VICTORIA ESPINEL, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ENFORCEMENT COORDINATOR, ON THE U.S. GOVERNMENT’S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ENFORCEMENT STRATEGY Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C. 11:17 A.M. EDT THE VICE PRESIDENT: Welcome, everybody. We’re going to be relatively brief here. Thank you for being here. I’m going to ask Victoria, who was responsible for…
[...]PSM Attends Panel on Intellectual Property Rights and Counterfeit Drugs
On May 27, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC) held an event to address intellectual property (IP) rights, a discussion that extended to issues of counterfeit and substandard medicines in developing parts of the world. PSM Executive Director Scott LaGanga moderated a panel discussion with Sproxil’s Ashifi Gogo, Dr. Vishal Patel…
[...]U.S. Agents Search Mail for Counterfeit Drugs
On May 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) led a foreign mail inspection in West Miami-Dade, Fla., designed to weed out thousands of counterfeit and unapproved medicines and stop them from entering the country. The three-day search had agents poring over packages of illegal pharmaceutical drugs, dietary supplements and home remedies mailed from…
[...]Arrests Made in Counterfeit Alli Case
Back in January, we told you about an FDA alert regarding counterfeit Alli—an FDA-approved, over-the-counter weight loss drug—which was being sold over the Internet. The FDA found that the counterfeit pills were made with varying amounts of the stimulant sibutramine, which can be particularly harmful to those with a history of cardiovascular disease and can…
[...]Europe Announces Treaty to Combat Counterfeit Drugs
Moving in line with the globally recognized need for strong protections against counterfeit drugs, the Council of Europe recently announced a treaty that intends to halt the trade of fake medications. At its Medicrime Convention, the Council of Europe created a binding international instrument to combat the sale of counterfeit drugs and other impediments to…
[...]PSM Delivers Recommendations to IPEC Regarding the Joint Strategic Plan
Given the growing threat of counterfeit drugs around the world, the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) goes to great lengths to inform and educate consumers, health care professionals and policymakers about this multifaceted issue. Most recently, we submitted recommendations to the office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC) following its request for comments regarding…
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