Pharmaceutical spammers have been using image hosting services to promote their products and one service has responded by giving its patrons a strong warning. Reports Brian Krebs, Image Shack has replaced the rogue pharmacy images with warning signs, including universal symbols for caution, poison and health hazards. In addition, they’ve replaced the spammers’ catch phrases…
Read MoreTestifying before the Croydon Crown Court in south London, Peter Gillespie, 64, admitted to aiding in the defrauding of pharmaceutical wholesalers, pharmacists and patients by selling counterfeit cancer drugs, heart disease medication and schizophrenia medication. However, Gillespie denies knowing the false origin of the medication supplied by a business associate he had known for 15…
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A federal grand jury has indicted five more people for conspiring to commit extortion under the pretense of being U.S. Food & Drug Administration agents. The false FDA agents allegedly threatened Americans, who had purchased drugs from offshore online pharmacies, with incarceration to extort up to $100,000.
The USFDA announced on February 7th that Jose Miguel Mercado Garcia, 29, of the Dominican Republic, Zulai Morales, 25, of the Dominican Republic, Ramona Pichardo, 51, of New York, New York, Maria Curet, 33, of Providence, Rhode Island, and Milton Goris, 32, of Miami, Florida were indicted. Ramon Pichard was arrested on February 10th, while the remaining defendants are at large.
According to the one count indictment, beginning on December 1, 2007, people claiming to represent pharmaceutical distributors located in the Dominican Republic called and emailed US residents offering to sell pharmaceutical drugs. Purchasers of those pharmaceutical drugs from the Dominican Republic distributors were then instructed to pay via either a money wire service or by credit card.
The indictment alleges that after paying, customers would then receive telephone calls from purported United States FDA agents, who in fact were not FDA agents. The false FDA agents allegedly falsely stated that the customers’ orders from the Dominican Republic had been interdicted, and that the customers now owed fines.
Read MoreU.S. Canadian Border in Blaine, WA scazon via Flickr. Two Canadians investigated by the United States Food and Drug Administration for selling counterfeit medications were sentenced on February 14th, 2011, after plea bargaining with investigators to avoid trial. Jim and Gregory James Armstrong, father and son, admitted they were smuggling counterfeit erectile dysfunction medication…
Read MoreGerman companies are responding to the risk of counterfeit medicine distribution in Europe with the development of new technologies used to authenticate German products with seals and security codes. One manufacturer, Bionorica, is using three-dimensional, optically variable embossed marks created by a Munich company which specializes in printing bank notes. In order to use these…
Read MoreA St. Louis, Missouri resident, Mark Hughes, 47, was sentenced to four years in prison by U.S. District Court on February 7th, 2011, four selling thousands of counterfeit erectile dysfunction pills. Hughes ordered counterfeit versions of ED drugs online from China and India, and sold them via an illegal and unlicsensed pharmacy and by…
Read MoreA Providence, Rhode Island resident pleaded guilty on February 8th, 2011, of smuggling erectile dysfunction drugs from the People’s Republic of China falsely labeled as herbal dietary supplements. Anny L. Puello, 32, the owner of JMM LLC, admitted importing thousands of ED drugs that were shipped from a Chinese supplier, Chengdu Kang Quan Health Product Company…
Read MoreA Nigerian pharmaceutical manufacturer has begun supplying the country’s chemists and clinics with life saving medicines packaged with new security codes verifiable by text messaging. The new packaging contains a code revealed by scratching off a code on the medicine package. The consumer can verify the drugs authenticity by sending a text message of the…
Read MoreIn North America, there were 199 reported incidents of counterfeit medicines in 2009, greater than Africa, the Near East, and Eurasia.
Read MoreAs the World Health Organization and its partners are spending $175 million to block the spread of artemisinin-resistant malaria along the border of Cambodia and Thailand by providing free care, free medication, and a pervasive police force hunting down fake drugs military troops from both countries are exchanging gunfire
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