Policy/Enforcement News
India to Require Barcodes on Pharmaceutical Exports
India’s Commerce Ministry is planning to require all pharmaceutical exports to utilize barcode technology, according to PharmaBiz.com. The news source reports that the Commerce Secretary met with Pharmexcil, India’s pharmaceutical exports promotion council, and accepted its recommendation to employ the technology. Pharmexcil proposed three ideas at the meeting: barcoding, digital mass serialization (DMS)/unique number and…
[...]Counterfeit Drug Infiltration of the Legitimate Supply Chain: Dan Rather Reports on HDNet
September 14, 2010 – In The Mysterious Case Kevin Xu Dan Rather investigates the fake prescription medication market and attempts of counterfeiters to infiltrate the US market. The broadcast was shown September 14, at 8pm ET on HDNet. Dan Rather spoke to Andre Watson, US special agent in charge of immigration and customs enforcement about…
[...]NAFDAC Director Heads Regional Fake Drug Task Force
A director with Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was made the head of a regional task force to fight fake drugs. Hashim Yusufu was appointed to the position by the 63rd meeting of the World Health Assembly, according to AllAfrica.com. Yusufu said that Nigeria was leading Africa's fight against…
[...]Zanzibar Operation Nets Counterfeit Drugs
The Zanzibar Food, Drugs and Cosmetics Board and Interpol’s Tanzania branch recently impounded a quantity of counterfeit drugs following an operation named Mamba 111. It was the first operation since the board was created and resulted in hundreds of cartons of counterfeit drugs being impounded, according to The Tanzanian Citizen. The counterfeit drugs were confiscated…
[...]Trial Date Set for Canadian Paralympic Champion Accused of Counterfeit Drug Sales
A new trial date has been set for the Paralympic curling champion and retired Richmond dentist charged with trafficking counterfeit erectile dysfunction drugs. Jim Armstrong, 59 year old retired dentist and champion curler, is charged with trafficking fake erectile dysfunction medications with his 28-year-old son, a dentist from Richmond, British Columbia, according to the…
[...]Prominent Wisconsin Pharmacist Arrested on Counterfeit Drug Importation Charges
A Wisconsin pharmacist was recently arrested on charges that she imported and sold millions of pills of phony erectile dysfunction medication and other counterfeit drugs. Marla Ahlgrimm, who owns a number of businesses in Madison, Wisconsin, was arrested when she walked into her office while authorities were executing a search warrant, according to the Wisconsin…
[...]Counterfeit Drugs a Problem for the World’s Rich as Well as the Poor
Governments are stiffening regulations against fake drugs and conducting more aggressive raids, as anti-counterfeiting technologies improve and NGOs support anti-counterfeiting campaigns. Counterfeit medicine smugglers have not been as aggressively pursued by international law enforcement as heroin or cocaine smugglers , however governments are stiffening regulations against fake drugs and conducting more aggressive raids. Companies are…
[...]Nigerian Businessman Charged with Importing Counterfeit Drugs
Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) recently arraigned a businessman on charges of importing counterfeit drugs. Paulinus Ejike Onuorah was arrested in May by NAFDAC agents at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja for allegedly bringing fake medicines into the country, reports the Nigerian Compass. One of the counts against the…
[...]NAFDAC Urges Pharmacy Owners to Reveal Source of Counterfeit Drugs
Officials from Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC) are asking a number of pharmacies that were recently found to be selling counterfeit drugs to reveal the source of the fake medication. A special NAFDAC team from Lagos found 20 pharmaceutical and medicine shops in Yola, the capital of the Adamawa State, dealing…
[...]DEA Heads First-Ever Nationwide Prescription Drug Take-Back Day
The Drug Enforcement Administration and government, community, public health and law enforcement partners announced a nationwide prescription drug “Take-Back” initiative that seeks to prevent increased pill abuse and theft. DEA will be collecting potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction at sites nationwide on Saturday, September 25 th from 10 a.m. to…
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