Cancer doctor working in Lodi, California and his wife, who acted as his office administrator admit no wrongdoing, but pay Federal Government $300,000 to settle allegations that they treated patients with counterfeit, imported cancer medication. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced May 9th that Dr. John F. Kiraly and wife Rena Kiraly have agreed…
Read More
Counterfeiting of drugs has exploded since we last had a serious debate about the importation of branded drugs. In just one year, 2013, the Pharmaceutical Security Institute reports that worldwide incidents of pharmaceutical crime rose almost 9%. During one week in 2013, the FDA, in partnership with Interpol, seized $41 million worth of illegal or counterfeit medicines, and shut down over 1,600 illegal online pharmacies. Mexico is a major global source of those fake drugs. Its illicit trade stands at an estimated $650 million per year–equal to 10% of its total drug sales.
Read MoreNBC news show examines the clandestine business of administering non-FDA approved beauty treatments. In the new episode of American Greed, titled “Vanity and Greed: Deadly Beauty”, the NBC show looks at the story of two convicted practitioners of counterfeit beauty treatments. Mississippi resident Tracey Lynn Garner was found guilty of murder in the death of…
Read MoreDr. Ann Kinnealey can no longer practice medicine in Illinois after a hearing by the Illinois State Medical Board determined that she purchased misbranded cancer medication from foreign supplier, Quality Specialty Products (QSP). QSP was a wholesale subsidiary of Canadian Internet Pharmacy giant, CanadaDrugs. Dr. Kinnealey had her 2 medical licenses suspended on April 21…
Read MoreThough their medication it sold was neither FDA-approved nor legally imported, Gallant Pharma was able to pass itself off as a legitimate pharmaceutical supplier simply by basing their operation in a Washington D. C. suburb, and claiming their drugs were sourced from Canada. When the Department of Justice (DOJ) originally announced the indictment of 11…
Read MoreThis is a reprint of an FDA Alert. [Posted 04/01/2016] AUDIENCE: Surgery, OB/GYN, Risk Manager ISSUE: The FDA is aware of allegations that Boston Scientific’s urogynecologic surgical mesh may contain counterfeit raw material. We are examining these allegations to determine any necessary and appropriate next steps. FDA is not currently aware that the alleged counterfeit…
Read MoreDarlene Krueger and her co-conspirators sold Chinese-made, “all-natural” weight loss supplements via website and mail order sales. Operating out of Louisiana and Florida, Krueger repackaged and sold bulk illicit medications containing the banned weight-loss drug sibutramine, which she then passed off as herbal supplements to her unsuspecting customers. On March 23, 2016, The Food and…
Read MoreA 37-year-old mother is dead after taking what she thought was the anti-anxiety medication Xanax. Her family is asking authorities to investigate her death. In January 2016, Misty Burnett took pills that she thought were Xanax, reports News Channel 5. Shortly thereafter Misty’s 18-year-old daughter discovered her mother dead. Alicia Allred, the girl’s aunt told…
Read MoreA 19-year-old boy and a 29-year-old man in Santa Cruz are both dead after ingesting a fatal dose of fentanyl hidden in fake Xanax pills. A 22-year-old man is facing charges that he supplied the fatal fakes. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that on October 24th, 2015, two young men at a party took what…
Read MoreLate in 2015, a group of San Francisco friends took what they thought was the anti-anxiety medication, Xanax. Within 48 hours, three of them were dead due to overdoses of the powerful end-stage cancer painkiller, fentanyl. Three residents of San Francisco have died as a result of taking counterfeit Xanax, according to KRON4 local news…
Read More