Click image to download Simple Steps for Safe Sourcing (pdf) This month, prescription medication was stolen from an unattended courier van in Modesto. Why would anyone steal prescription drugs? Because they can be sold on the black market and also used to “salt” batches of counterfeit drugs to fool inspectors. On August 22, a batch…
Seven oncologists in six different Ohio cities have been charged with illegally importing misbranded, non-FDA approved cancer medication. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is reporting that seven Ohio cancer doctors are facing allegations of importing non-FDA approved cancer medications. The seven were each charged with a misdemeanor, “causing the shipment of misbranded drugs.” The…
11 people have been indicted in an $8.6 million prescription drug importation scheme. Gallant Pharma International allegedly imported non-FDA approved drugs into the United States, then repackaged the drugs with US labels. Gallant Pharma posed as a Canadian pharmaceutical company shipping low-cost drugs from Canada to the U.S. The drugs sold by Gallant Pharma, including…
Images of bogus diabetes treatments courtesy of the FDA. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning diabetics to beware of illegal “natural” remedies for the treatment of diabetes. They pose a serious health danger to diabetics, and are part of the growing trend amongst drug counterfeiters pushing fake natural medications. The FDA has…
In a two-part series, Clinical Oncology takes a look at the recurrent counterfeit cancer medication scares that have occurred in the last year. The impact on oncologists has been dramatic, with sentencing announced for one doctor, with more prosecutions possibly looming on the horizon. They note that to date, 155 medical practices in the United…
The new NABP report warns that a fake online pharmacy collective is posing as individual, but fake, Canadian pharmacies. In their latest quarterly report, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy calls for strong consumer outreach in response to ever-more sophisticated efforts by fake online pharmacies in disguising the illegal nature of their operations. The July progress report from…
Click here to download stories of medicine counterfeiters including James Newcomb (pdf). On July 11 in Saint Louis, a British citizen was convicted of distributing counterfeit Avastin, sentenced to jail and asked to forfeit close to $4 million in counterfeit drug profits. Richard J. Taylor, a British citizen, has been sentenced to 18 months in…
The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) has produced a short video starring an animated “genuine” pill warning consumers and doctors of the dangers of counterfeit drugs. In a post on the Global Health Matters blog, editor Mario Ottiglio explains the reasons for the campaign: “Every day, fake medicines find their way into…
In the last year, there were several cases of counterfeit medication entering the secure U.S drug supply chain via orders made by healthcare professionals. The safety dangers to patients are implicit, but the legal problems healthcare providers face in these cases are not. On Thursday July 18th, the Partnership for Safe Medicines hosted Counterfeit Drugs…
Libby Baney speaking at the 2012 Interchange on online pharmacy patient safety issues. The Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP), an informal advocacy coalition started in 2009, has now become a charted nonprofit organization. Focused on online pharmacy safety, it is dedicated to protecting patient safety through legitimate online pharmacies. ASOP’s President is Diane Darvey,…