Policy/Enforcement News
US Counterfeit Drug Distributor Sentenced in Los Angeles
A Puerto Rican man who acted as a distributor for a counterfeit drug criminal gang was sentenced in Federal court this month. Originally facing 10 years, he has been sentenced to 2 years in prison for his role in a massive counterfeit drug ring operating in the United States
Francis Ortiz Gonzalez was convicted of conspiracy and seven counts of trafficking in counterfeit pharmaceuticals in August of 2012. According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) news release on the occasion of his sentencing, “federal agents executed a search warrant at Ortiz Gonzalez’s residence in Trujillo Alto, a suburb of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Inside the home, investigators found more than 100,000 pills that resembled a variety of popular prescription medications.” Ortiz Gonzalez shipped more than 140,000 counterfeit pills from China to individuals throughout the United States, found the investigators.
[...]Canadian Internet Pharmacy Founder Gets 4 Years in Counterfeit Drugs Case
Canadian online pharmacy pioneer, Andrew Strempler, was sentenced January 9th, 2013 to 4 years after he pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Initially, Strempler faced 4 charges relating to the case with each carrying a possible sentence of 20 years.
Strempler’s current legal woes stem from the FDA investigation of his Internet pharmacy business Mediplan Health Consulting Inc, also known as RX-North. According to the Wall Street Journal, FDA investigations of Strempler’s business discovered that 90% of the drugs they had seized from a Mediplan shipment were counterfeit. The shipment contained fake versions of Arimidex, a breast cancer treatment, and Lipitor, the cholesterol drug.
[...]The Year in Review – Part 2 – Diversion, Black Market and Internet
Part 2 of The Year in Review
Fake medications have infiltrated the legitimate supply
chain in the United States in 2012 through doctor’s offices, bricks and mortar
pharmacies and through direct-to-consumer purchasing on the internet.
Fake drugs containing dangerous ingredients
have been found for purchasing from unlicensed internet pharmacies, and drug
diverters have infiltrated brick and mortar pharmacies with black market medications.
Doctor Pleads Guilty in Misbranded Cancer Drug Case
US
Department of Justice convicts two in cases tying counterfeit cancer drugs
to Canadian pharmacy business.
On
November 15th, Dr. William Kincaid, of Johnson City, TN, was convicted for
knowingly purchasing non-FDA approved injectable cancer medications from
Quality Specialty Products (QSP). Dr. Kincaid accepted a plea deal with the
federal government in exchange for assisting them with their ongoing
investigation. Previously, Dr. Kincaid’s business manager, Michael Dean Combs
pled guilty in the same case on September 19th, reports
Knox News.
RxResponse Helps Sandy Victims Find Open Pharmacies
Recovering from Sandy but in need of vital medication? RxResponse is here to help.
In the wake of disasters such as hurricane Sandy, patients can find out online if their pharmacy is open and accessible by using RxResponse.
Rx Response helps get critical medicines to patients whose health is threatened by a severe public health emergency, such as a natural disaster, terrorist attack, or pandemic, by sharing information and problem-solving for a coalition of bio-pharmaceutical supply chain organizations, disaster relief agencies and local, state and federal government agencies.
[...]PhRMA and GPhA Standing United Against Counterfeit Medicines at Interchange
John Castellani, President and Chief Executive Officer, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and Ralph G. Neas, President and Chief Executive Officer, Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA), took the dais together at the Partnership for Safe Medicines 2012 Interchange on September 28, 2012 to discuss the risks of counterfeits to patient safety.
PSM2012: Startling and Compelling Speakers Focused on Patient Safety and Criminal Acts
The Partnership for Safe Medicines’ 2012 Interchange on September 28th, 2012 at the National Press Club brought together researchers, patient advocates, law enforcement and industry to discuss the damage counterfeit medications and fake online pharmacies cause to Americans. “This year’s Interchange was our boldest, most ambitious effort to date,” said PSM President Dr. Marvin D.…
[...]FDA Wants You To Be Safe When Buying Drugs Online
FDA launches BeSafeRx, a national campaign to make online pharmacy shopping safer, warning consumers that 97% of pharmacies online don’t adhere to state and federal laws.
In a report carried by the Washington Post, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg has announced a new consumer education campaign, aimed at protecting the American consumer from counterfeit drugs.
[...]FDA Develops Hand-held Counterfeit Drug Detection Device
The US Food and Drug Administration has introduced a powerful new tool in the war against counterfeit drugs. It’s a hand-held counterfeit drug detection spectrometer that uses light to detect anomalies in drug appearance and packaging.
Called the Counterfeit Detection Device #3, or CD3, it was developed internally by the FDA, and presented at an FDA symposium by Commissioner Margaret Hamburg on September 11th, reports CNN.
[...]Dr. Paul Newton Talks Counterfeit Drugs & Drug Resistance in Recent Interview
In a recent interview with Pathogens & Global Health, Dr. Paul Newton, Head of the Welcome Trust-Mahosot Hospital-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Collaboration in Vientiane, Laos, offered his expertise on the growing problem of counterfeit medication in the treatment of tropical diseases.
Dr. Paul Newton works in the heart of Malaria country in Southeast Asia. As a result, he has a very clear, first-hand perspective on the role counterfeit and substandard drugs play in drug resistance and the human cost of counterfeit medication. He is also well acquainted with the drug supply chain problems that plague malarious regions.
[...]