2 Florida Medical Executives Indicted for Selling Misbranded Gastric Banding Kits

Defendants allegedly purchased expired or close-to-expired gastric lap-band surgery kits on the Internet, disguised them as new, and then re-sold them to local physicians. Florida residents Peter Kakfa and Gregory Grimm are being accused of running an expired/misbranded gastric bypass banding system scam via their employer Apollo Endosurgery, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reports. According…

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Pakistani Fake Internet Pharmacy Owners Sentenced in Federal Court

Pair that were arrested in London in October 2012 for operating a fake online pharmacy that sold to U.S. consumers plead guilty and are sentenced. Pakistani fake online pharmacy entrepreneurs Sheikh Waseem Ul Haq and Tahir Saeed have been sentenced to time served after pleading guilty to 48 counts, including “conspiracy to import Schedule II,…

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Indiana News Outlet Finds Fake Online Pharmacies on Purdue and Butler University Websites

Rooting out fake online pharmacy links from University websites is an endless game of whack-a-mole for University network security officers. Ephemeral pharmacy web links appear and disappear constantly on major university websites. Inspired by one of their news gathering partners, Fox 59 News in Indianapolis, Indiana did a bit of checking with the help of…

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NABP Release New Report Finds 10,823 Fake Online Pharmacies According to Latest Findings

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy also examines the role that fake online pharmacies are playing in distributing counterfeit pain pills laced with fentanyl. A new report from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) has just been released. Titled “The Internet Drug Outlet Identification Program Progress Report for State and Federal Regulators:…

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ICE Shuts Down 67 Fake Online Pharmacy Websites For Selling Counterfeit Drugs

Website visitors now see a seizure banner displaying in place of the fake drug advertisements The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced that 67 different domain names for commercial websites “engaged in the illegal sale and distribution of counterfeit and prescription drugs” have had seizure orders executed against them by U.S. Immigration and Customs…

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How Internet Search Engines Support Illegal Online Drug Sales

Did you know that Internet search engines, such as Google and Yahoo, claim to verify online pharmacies through PharmacyChecker.com? But what good does it do? This site provides little to no security about the legitimacy of Internet drug sellers. Rogue online pharmacies continue to profit from the sale of counterfeit drugs, and at the same time Internet search engines profit from the advertisements on these non-verified pharmacies’ Web sites. Even more alarming is that Internet search engines are in no way held accountable for hosting and profiting off “online pharmacies” who distribute counterfeit drugs.

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LEADERs in the Fight Against Counterfeit Drugs

In the past two weeks, the Partnership for Safe Medicines issued two SafeMeds Alerts about counterfeit insulin pen needles and herbal medication adulterated with dangerously high levels of undeclared pharmaceuticals in the United Kingdom. It is tempting to disregard these alerts since the drugs were found in England, not the United States. But in today’s global environment, we are all at risk when these unsafe products move through the drug supply chain undetected.

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Counterfeit Drug Sellers – Small Penalties for Big-Time Offenses

The sale of counterfeit prescription drugs is neither harmless nor insignificant. Today, the illicit sale of counterfeit prescription drugs is outpacing the sale of street drugs as many dealers are finding it to be “more profitable” and “less risky.” Counterfeit prescription drugs and street drugs both endanger lives, yet, counterfeit drug sellers face significantly less penalties while making much more money (as much as 2,000 times the profit of crack or heroin). This is a tremendous public health concern around the world and on our domestic front.

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