Policy/Enforcement News
Partnership for Safe Medicines Board Warns US Senate about Dangers of Importation
On May 9th, the board of the Partnership for Safe Medicines sent the following letter to all members of the U.S. Senate. Dear Senator, The Partnership for Safe Medicines has dutifully studied the problem of counterfeit drugs in America for over a decade. We have examined court transcripts of prosecutions of counterfeiters, watched scientists test counterfeits…
[...]DOJ Cases Highlight the Dangers of Illegal Silicone Injections
Cosmetic procedures are increasingly common these days, but so are illegally run clinics that promise to improve a person’s appearance while endangering their clients’ lives for the sake of profit. Two recent cases highlight the continuing efforts of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and the United Stated Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to…
[...]Canada Drug Center Parent Company Charged for Selling Misbranded Drugs to Americans
Canadian pharmaceutical importer Quantum Solutions and its officers have been charged with two felony counts by the DOJ. Quantum Solutions runs a dozen different pharmacy websites, including Canada Drug Center. Dr. Kenneth McCall, of the University of New England, tested prescriptions from Canada Drug Center in 2014, and found they were substandard and contaminated. Three…
[...]The Fallacy of Drug Importation
Former Federal Regulators, Law Enforcement Officials Dispute Rhetoric on Drug Importation Merits, Highlight the Serious Harm Posed to Patient Health Washington, D.C. — In one of the strongest challenges to drug importation proposals to date, several former federal law enforcement officials and public health experts warned of serious consequences in opening up the U.S. drug supply…
[...]California Drug Counterfeiter Sentenced to 10 Years in Jail
David Beckford was one of 5 California residents charged in a scheme to produce and sell fake Xanax from bulk medication imported from China. A Northern California Federal Court has sentenced Oakland resident David Beckford to ten years in prison after his guilty plea on counterfeit drug, money laundering, and weapons charges, The Department of…
[...]NYC Couple Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Illegally Distribute and Dispense Fake Cosmetic Injectable
Brooklyn, New York residents Bu Young Kim and Chan Hui Cho pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to dispense and administer cosmetic drugs and treatment without being a licensed medical professional, import of misbranded drugs and attempting to smuggle $79,986 from the United States to South Korea. According to the United States Department of…
[...]Fake Online Pharmacy Owner Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison
Juan Gallinal, a former Virginia police officer, acted as the head of a Florida conspiracy that used a valid brick-and-mortar pharmacy as a cover for series of fake pharmacy websites that sold misbranded and addictive drugs. The owner of a fake online pharmacy business in Florida has been sentenced to eight years in prison, the…
[...]Betty Hunter’s Death Illustrates Danger of Fake Drugs
Arizona resident Betty Hunter died of lung cancer, but how much longer would she have lived if her oncologist had not treated her with counterfeit Avastin? A recent Danish documentary tells the tragic story of Arizona grandmother Betty Hunter, who in 2011 sought treatment for her lung cancer at an oncology clinic in Chandler Arizona.…
[...]Two Louisiana Men Sentenced for Filling Orders for a Fake Online Pharmacy Scam
The two men acted as U.S. distributors for a series of Thailand-based fake online pharmacy websites that sold imported and non-FDA approved medication to U.S. consumers. Troy Tapia and Anthony Rouse III of Louisiana have each been sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering,…
[...]Cosmetic Injectable Treatments Now Used to Treat Dozens of Ailments so Fakes Poses A Danger to More U. S. Patients
In 2016 alone, over 1,400 practitioners were warned by the FDA that their supplier was selling unapproved so-called “Botox.” With more than 2,400 professionals warned in the past 5 years, the expansion of use for this medication provides new markets for counterfeiters selling fake and misbranded drugs. Botulinum neurotoxin, or Botox as it is known,…
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