Malaria Report: New Strains, New Treatments, New Counterfeits

November 8, 2010

Three new studies highlight the hopes and fears of parents across the globe.  

A new study conducted by Dr. Nicholas White of Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand shows a significant reduction in mortality and gives hope for children with severe malaria.  

Meanwhile a study from the U.S. Agency for International Development details the pervasive infiltration of ineffective counterfeit malarial drugs.

And another study by researchers of malaria in Indonesia has found a new genetic mutation in the disease.

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India High Court Rules Malarial Drug Test Kits are Pharmaceutical Products

November 8, 2010

In Chennai, India, the Madras high court rules that malaria testing kits are pharmaceutical products, subject to the Drugs and Cosmetics Acts. It has ordered a detailed probe into the sale of fake malaria detection kits to city hospitals, and has asked the central and state governments to launch a campaign to spread awareness about…

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Nigeria Reactivates Counterfeit Drug Task Forces

November 8, 2010

The recent raid in Lagos that saw the closure of more than 1,000 counterfeit drug shops, has spurred Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to reactivate the Federal Task Force on fake and counterfeit drugs. Director General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, made the announcement in a recent speech delivered…

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Nigeria and India Collaborate to Fight Counterfeit Drugs

November 5, 2010

The fight against counterfeit drugs affects every country and that is why it is important that nations work together to stop the deadly scourge. This fact is not lost on Nigeria, which is working with India to ensure that all medicines brought into the African nation are authentic. According to AllAfrica.com, most of the pharmaceutical products…

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11% of Ghana’s Children Under 5 Die – More Can Live if Counterfeit Drugs are Reduced

November 5, 2010

Ghanaian religious leaders committed to decreasing child mortality rates decried counterfeit drug purveyors at the 8th Annual National Catholic Health Services Conference (NCHS). The 8th NCHS Annual Conference was held at the Catholic Guest House, Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region of Ghana from October 26 to 29, 2010. The theme was “Monitoring for Continuous…

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Taiwanese Health Minister Discusses Crackdown on Fake Drugs

November 4, 2010

The government in Taiwan is currently cracking down on a rapid proliferation in the trade of fake drugs, the China Post reports. Taiwanese Health Minister Yang Chih-liang said during a press conference that counterfeit drugs posed a more serious problem than drug trafficking. The government has been strongly cracking down on counterfeit drugs since March,…

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Kenya Working Hard to Curb Counterfeit Drugs

November 4, 2010

A number of health professionals in Kenya say diseases are becoming more resistant to treatments because of the prevalence of counterfeit drugs in the country. Pharmacists in the African nation said that a campaign should be started to warn consumers that the use of counterfeit drugs can lead to more resilient strands of certain diseases,…

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Doctor Pleads Guilty in Online Prescription Fraud Case, Loses License

November 3, 2010

A Grand Forks, North Dakota doctor has pled guilty on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. His counsel says that he client didn’t know he was breaking the law and even paid taxes on his earnings. Authorities say Enrique Rivera Mass, 56, illegally signed off on prescriptions for nearly 1.8 million pills…

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Russian Authorities Accuse Businessman of Running Illegal Online Pharmacy and Spamming Billions

November 3, 2010

The beginning of a criminal investigation by Russian authorities in Moscow of a prominent spammer has resulted in a significant reduction in the amount of spam advertising from illegal online pharmacies, reports the New York Times. The center of the investigation, Igor A. Gusev, has been linked to the website “SpamIt”, an organization that provides…

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Report: Anti-Counterfeiting Technology Needs Evolution, Global Implementation

November 3, 2010

A new study from Cambridge Consultants details some of the challenges facing developers of anti-counterfeiting technology, according to a new white paper written in coordination with the BIO 2010 conference in Chicago. Summarizing a panel discussion between Lew Kontnik, Director of Brand Protection for Amgen, David Kent, Vice President of Global Risk at Genzyme, Andrew Emmett, director for…

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