Life-threatening counterfeit drugs taught Rick Roberts that medicine safety can’t be taken for granted

Rock Roberts opening the Senate briefing

Life-threatening counterfeit drugs taught Rick Roberts that medicine safety can’t be taken for granted. Safe medicines advocate Rick Roberts opening the Senate briefing, September 24, 2019. Rick Roberts, a professor at the University of San Francisco and a member of The Partnership for Safe Medicines’ Advisory Board, began thinking about the problem of medicine safety…

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Website Operators Warned by FDA/DEA Offered Antibiotics, Cancer & HIV Treatments in Addition to Misbranded Opioids

On September 30th, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a joint warning to four online networks that were operating a total of ten fake online pharmacy websites. While all four networks were offering misbranded/counterfeit opioid medications such as tramadol and Soma for sale, three of the online networks had marketplaces offering misbranded medications to treat a kaleidoscope of ailments, such as allergies, cancer, smoking, asthma, and infection.

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Patient Advocates Warn of Dangers of Black Market HIV Medicines

In May 2014, the Community Access National Network (CANN) and the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM), released a new resource for the HIV/AIDS community and their doctors. The flyers, available online and in print form, highlighted the incidence of black market HIV/AIDS medication since 2006 and offered tips for patients and physicians to ensure they are purchasing legitimate drugs from reputable sources.

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HIV/AIDS Black Market Sells Fraudulent Drugs to Unwitting Victims

Pharmacists in Brooklyn and Suffolk County have been charged with allegedly re-selling HIV and AIDS medications to patients that had been illegally obtained on the black market.  The medications were mislabelled and potentially mishandled and expired. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said, "The ringleaders of this complex scheme not only cheated the Medicaid program out of…

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New York Pharmacists Indicted for Purchasing Black Market HIV Drugs for Resale

View larger map Pharmacists in Brooklyn and Suffolk County who worked for MOMs specialty HIV Medication Pharmacy have been charged with allegedly re-selling HIV and AIDS medications to patients that had been illegally obtained on the black market. The medications were mislabeled and potentially mishandled and expired. MOMs and their parent company Allion Healthcare then…

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Third Bout of Counterfeit HIV Medication Found

More fake HIV medication has been found, this time in Kenya. The World Health Organization’s Prequalification of Medicines Program (PQM) first discovered fake versions of Zidolam-N, a HIV therapy, in September in Kenya, reports Securing Pharma. The counterfeit medications are of poor quality with visible molding, discoloration and friability. Kenya’s Pharmacy and Poisons Board has…

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Counterfeit HIV Medication Discovered in UK Supply Chain

United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) admitted that counterfeit versions of two HIV medication have been found in the UK market. Truvada, emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, is a combination HIV therapy. Orifarm, a Danish supplier of parallel-imported and generic pharmaceuticals acknowledged that their supply of Truvada had been compromised by “the…

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Nigeria-bound HIV/AIDS Drugs Seized in Netherlands

Nigeria-bound HIV/AIDS Drugs Seized in Netherlands View larger map What: On November 12, 2008, Dutch authorities seized a shipment of Indian-made abacavir—an antiretroviral drug for HIV/AIDS treatment—bound for Nigeria. The abacavir tablets were found to violate patent rules and were declared counterfeit; however it’s been disputed whether the drugs were actually counterfeit. The Financial Times reported that “dozens” of HIV patients were…

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