Counterfeit Medicines Are a Problem in the European Union—A Problem that is Continuing to Grow

According to a report from Europol’s Intellectual Property Crime Threat Assessment 2019, “Counterfeit pharmaceuticals pose a growing threat to the EU, affecting a large number of Member States. A wide and increasingly diverse range of medicines is targeted by counterfeiters.”
The Europol ICP Threat Assessment reports that there has been an increase in seizures of counterfeit drugs used in the treatment of serious illnesses, as well as a growing number of counterfeit drug incidents affecting the legal drug supply chain. 

[...]

New Report Highlights Continued Illicit Online Prescription Drugs Sales In China

ASOP Global and LegitScript released a report analyzing the prevalence of illicit online sales of prescription drugs in China, a country where such sales are prohibited. Their analysis showed that about half of all Chinese online pharmaceuticals sellers are illicit, potentially exposing patients to counterfeit medicines, substandard medicines, financial fraud, and identity theft…

[...]

UK House of Commons: No Deal Brexit Exposes U.K. to Both Counterfeit Medication and Medication Shortages

In a report published by the House of Commons, experts in the field of prescription medication described a dire situation for medicine safety in the United Kingdom (UK) if a “no-deal” departure from the European Union (EU) happens. The report noted, “Witnesses told us that, without provisions with the EU to continue to exchange data, the UK would be shut out of critical EU data exchanges on pharmacovigilance, falsified medicines and clinical trials.”

[...]

Canadians Concerned About US Prescription Drug Importation Proposals

John Adams of the Best Medicines Coalition, a Canadian group that represents 28 different patient organizations, has described the Trump administration’s plan to import medication from Canada as a “clear and present danger” to the Canadian prescription drug system, according to AP.

[...]

WHO: Counterfeit medicines kill up to 300,000 children each year

Counterfeit medicines kill up to 300,000 children each year   See PSM’s infographic for a visual summary. In a shocking new report published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, researchers have documented the true toll of counterfeit medicines around the world due to medicine being subtherapeutic or outright ineffective. Subtherapeutic medicine allows…

[...]

Fake Cancer Medicine Found To Only Contain Acetaminophen

Counterfeit Iclusig (ponatinib), a cancer drug used to treat chronic myeloid and acute lymphoblastic leukemia, was first found by a Swiss wholesaler. The World Health Organization is warning North American and European cancer patients after two batches of a fake cancer medication were found in three different countries and also sold on the internet…

[...]