Policy/Enforcement News
Nigerian Organization Proposes Death Penalty for Drug Counterfeiters
Nigeria has suffered a number of tragedies because of counterfeit drugs. Indeed, in 1995 alone, 2,500 children died in the country because they received a phony meningitis vaccine. One group is proposing a solution that could bring an end to such sad events: the death penalty for drug counterfeiters. The Patriots are calling on Nigeria’s…
[...]Narcotics Sweep Leads to Arrest for Counterfeit Drugs
A drug bust in a Massachusetts city has lead to the arrest of more than a dozen people, including one who is being charged with the distribution of counterfeit drugs. The city of Taunton, Massachusetts, a community about 40 miles south of Boston, began a major drug sweep this week, targeting crack cocaine and heroin…
[...]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…
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