A new study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) has revealed that the prevalence of ineffective or counterfeit drugs is dangerously high in Africa, particularly in the western part of the continent. In particular, the study examined common medications used for the treatment of malaria and tuberculosis. The…
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Police in four countries in Europe have conducted searches as part of an investigation of counterfeit cancer drugs allegedly being smuggled illegally into the European Union, according to the Cyprus Mail.
The simultaneous searches were orchestrated by the German Federal Police and were carried out by local agents in Germany, Switzerland, Norway, and Cyprus.
Read MoreThe Sindh High Court (SHC) in Karachi, Pakistan, has rejected the bail application of two men who allegedly trafficked in counterfeit medications, according to the Daily Times. The SHC division bench consisting of Justice Gulzar Ahmad and Justuce Imam Bukhsh Balouch decided against issuing bail after hearing arguments from the prosecution against the two defendants, Muhammad…
Read MoreCBS Evening News reported that cargo thefts from trucks and warehouse are on the rise. In 2009, there were 864 reported cargo thefts, more than two per day, and frequency is projected to rise for 2010. The FDA is particularly concerned about prescription drug thefts, calling them “crime that threatens public health,” in a letter…
Read MoreAwareness of the problem of counterfeit drugs is on the rise in East Africa, according to Tanzania’s The Citizen. Starting in 2008, Interpol and the World Health Organization have collaborated on the International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force (IMPACT), a series of anti-counterfeiting raids in Tanzania and Uganda. The news source reports that approximately 20 percent…
Read MoreOne of Ghana’s ministries recently held a workshop regarding the possibility of bodies of water being contaminated by counterfeit drugs. The Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology held the workshop, titled “Drugs and the Environment: The Development Country Perspective,” as part of the 10th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Pharmacovigilance (ISoP), according to…
Read MoreThe Russian man accused of running a website responsible for a large percentage of the world’s online pharmacy spam has claimed his innocence, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Igor Gusev, 31, is the subject of an ongoing investigation by Russian authorities who believe he was responsible for paying spammers to advertise online pharmacies that sold erectile…
Read MoreA Zambian pharmacist has called on the government to empower the agency in charge of issues relating to counterfeit drugs in the country, reports the Zambia Post. “The Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency needs to be equipped properly. It is a professional body that works very hard to check on the quality of medicines the Zambian patients consume.…
Read MoreOnline pharmaceutical spam organization, Spamit.com, has been implicated in the use of Bredolab, a botnet that hijacked personal computers to use to spread spam. KrebsOnSecurity reported that Georg Avanesov, age 27, was arrested by Armenian police on suspicion of being the curator of Bredolab, a botnet that has infected approximately 3 million computers a month.…
Read MoreThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration has sent a warning letter to an online pharmacy accused of selling controlled and unapproved substances in violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), according to a press release. The pharmacy, Rx-promotion, reportedly operates nearly 300 internet domain names, through which it sells and dispenses medications with…
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