Qatar Drafts Counterfeit Drug Law

June 14, 2011

Qatar is working on the first counterfeit drug law in country, announced the Qatar’s Supreme Council of Health’s Pharmacy and Drug Control Department (PDCD). PDCD director, Dr Aisha Ebrahim Al Ansari, said that the law is currently being reviewed and will be adopted and submitted to higher authorities for approval, reports The Gulf News. “The…

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Online Pharmacy Owner Sentenced to 7 Years in Fake Drug Distribution Conspiracy

June 13, 2011

An online pharmacy owner, operating out of Texas, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for trafficking and attempting to traffic in counterfeit medicine, specifically fake versions of the pharmaceutical weight loss drug known as Alli that contained a dangerous substitute ingredient that caused stroke in one victim. The U.S. Department of Justice issued…

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Egyptian Counterfeit Drugs Up 20%

June 13, 2011

Egyptian officials say local counterfeit drug trade including life saving medications has peaked in a year with an estimation of LE 1billion. Al-Gomhuriya reports that experts are predicting a 10% growth in the counterfeit medicine market for 2010. Local pharmacists are concerned saying, “The sale of counterfeit medical drugs has risen.” Abdul Aziz Hanafi, a…

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Americans Using Fake Medicine Endanger Their Lives and Risk Involvement with Criminals

June 7, 2011

Every day Americans go to Tijuana, Mexico to buy prescription drugs at discounted prices, despite US state department warnings that criminals impersonating Mexican authorities have detained US citizens with legitimate prescriptions and demanded large bribes. 25% of the prescription medications available in Mexico are fake or substandard, estimates US authorities, reports CNN. Counterfeit medications are…

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Rogue Internet Pharmacy Owner Gets 48 Months in Prison, Canadian Partner is a Fugitive

June 6, 2011

  On June 3, 2011, an internet pharmacy owner that solid misbranded and counterfeit drugs, as well as controlled substances, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison. The other half of the partnership, his Canadian co-conspirator, is wanted by officials.   Manuel Calvelo, 37, a Belgian citizen, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy…

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3 Million Doses of Counterfeit Medication Confiscated in San Francisco

June 6, 2011

San Francisco Customs report that over 3 million doses of fake drugs were seized in 2010 at San Francisco International Airport. Chief Customs Officer Ed Low at the International Mailing Facility at San Francisco International Airport finds counterfeit drugs coming through the mail every day, including penicillin, valium, and erectile dysfunction medication, reports CBS News.…

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WikiPharmacy New Spammer Ploy to Fool Consumers

June 3, 2011

Consumers beware: there is no wikipharmacy. This is a new ploy by spammers to entice the unwitting into revealing personal financial information and purchasing unregulated medicines from fake drug hawkers. Spammers have created a wiki-style layout for a so-called “WikiPharmacy” to entice purchasers through advertising low prices. Victims are drawn in by the known reliability…

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Patients Awaken During Surgery with Fake Anesthetics

June 2, 2011

Fake vials of surgical anesthetics have been found in the marketplace in Birtangar, Nepal, after a patient awoke mid-gallstone surgery. A patient awoke during a gallstone removal procedure in a private hospital in Biratngar, five minutes after being administered with the anesthetic, Vacuron. Doctors notified authorities who found fake vials of the anesthetic in the…

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Fake Drug Hawkers Threaten Anti-Counterfeiting Officials in Nigeria

May 31, 2011

NAFDAC officials were surrounded and threatened by drug traders while raiding a pharmaceutical marketplace with a masked informant in Nigeria. Three suspected fake medicine sellers were apprehended by authorities with their wares by the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) however the majority of suspects had emptied their shops prior to the raid,…

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Online Pharmacy Owner Caught Selling Fake Drugs Out Of London Garage

May 31, 2011

An Uxbridge resident has pleaded guilty to selling counterfeit medicine online from a repair garage in northwest London. Saranjit Bhambra admitted to operating a website, www.keepithard.co.uk, that sold prescription erectile dysfunction medication without a prescription. He pleaded guilty on April 26, 2011, to one offense of selling medicinal products that contain ingredients found in medicines…

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