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Out of Time

August 14, 2008
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Bryan A. Liang, MD, PhD, JD

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a consumer alert warning patients that two Baltimore pharmacies may have received either expired or possibly counterfeit drugs.  Earlier this year, New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo initiated legal action against CVS and Rite Aid pharmacies after a statewide investigation found it had sold expired products, including over-the-counter medications.

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Iraqi Health Ministry Closes Two “Fake Pharmacies” in Al-Sadr City

August 14, 2008
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The Health Ministry's Department for Private Sector Institutions [DPSI], affiliated with the ministry's inspector general, closed two fake pharmacies in Al-Sadr city and seized large amounts of medicines yesterday [ 11 August]. The step comes in response to the ministry's national plan to control medicine sale in the private sector. Speaking to Al-Sabah, Health Ministry's Inspector General Adil Muhsin Abdallah…

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Customs impounds 120 containers of counterfeit drugs

August 13, 2008
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THE Nigeria Customs Service has seized 120 containers of fake and expired drugs from importers. The Comptroller-General of Customs, Alhaji Hamman Bello, who disclosed this when he visited the Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Dora Akunyili, said the goods were seized from importers he called economic saboteurs. By Ayodele Adesanmi 13…

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Surfers buy medicines online

August 13, 2008
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Twenty-five per cent of online shoppers in the UK either have or would be prepared to buy prescription drugs over the web, according to a survey. According to WebCredible's findings, more people would buy prescription drugs online than would buy cars or garden sheds. 13 August 2008 Read the full story at webuser.co.uk.

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FDA: Baltimore Pharmacies Selling Expired and Counterfeit Drugs

August 12, 2008
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns consumers who recently filled prescriptions at two Medicine Shoppes in Baltimore they may have received expired or counterfeit drugs. The FDA is especially worried because the drugs in question are taken for serious illnesses and could have adverse effects on patients' treatments. 12 August 2008 Read the full story at consumeraffairs.com.

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An Unexpected Fake in Los Angeles

August 11, 2008
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Bryan A. Liang, MD, PhD, JD

Botox treatment is one of the fastest-growing cosmetic procedures on the market today.  With the promise to eliminate wrinkles and fine lines, more and more baby boomers are turning to this product to fight the signs of aging.  However, in addition to battling wrinkles, the makers of Botox now find themselves fighting the illicit business of counterfeit drugs.  

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Panjabi SS, Panjabi RS, Shepherd MD*, Lawson KA, Johnsrud M, Barner J. Extended-release, once-daily morphine (Avinza) for the treatment of chronic nonmalignant pain: effect on pain, depressive symptoms, and cognition. Pain Medicine. 2008 Aug; 9(8):985-93.

August 7, 2008
Posted in , ,

Abstract. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of an extended-release, once-daily morphine sulfate formulation on depressive symptoms and neurocognition in patients with chronic nonmalignant pain.

DESIGN: Prospective, open-label, one-group trial with a pretest-posttest design.

SETTING: Outpatient pain management clinic.

PATIENTS AND INTERVENTION: Chronic nonmalignant pain patients inadequately controlled with short-acting opioid analgesics and eligible for treatment with once-daily morphine sulfate were initiated on a dose at or near the morphine-equivalent dose of the short-acting regimen.

OUTCOMES: The following assessments were made at baseline and 4 weeks after initiating intervention: pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, pain suffering, pain behaviors, Beck Depression Inventory, and cognitive function.

RESULTS: Eighty-four patients provided usable data. Pain intensity, unpleasantness, and suffering scores were significantly reduced at follow-up (P = 0.001). The mean Beck Depression Inventory scores were significantly lower at follow-up (P = 0.001). Significant improvements were seen in scores at follow-up on the three validated neurocognitive tests: the digit span test, the digit symbol substitution test, and the paced auditory serial addition test (P = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Achieving adequate pain control with once-daily morphine was associated with a reduction in pain and improvements in depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning in the short term.

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NAFDAC destroys N250m fake goods in Gombe

August 5, 2008
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NATIONAL Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is set to destroy N250 million worth of unwholesome products in Gombe this week, Mr. Abdulsalam Ozigis, its co-ordinator in the state, said Monday in Gombe. He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the items were seized across the six states of the North-East geo-political zone. 5 August 2008…

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Fake pharmacies swallow bitter pill

July 29, 2008
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Two hundred private pharmacies selling expired and banned drugs were nabbed by the special unit of the National Drug Control Authority during a single day countrywide raid. These pharmacies had sold drugs without prescriptions and they did not have qualified and trained pharmacists, Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry sources said. Nadira Gunatilleke29 July 2008 Read the full story at dailynews.lk.

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JFDA warns of potentially deadly sexual peformance enhancers

July 29, 2008
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AMMAN – The Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) issued a warning on Monday concerning the use of illegal sexual performance enhancers, cautioning that the drugs may contain toxic materials that could lead to death. The JFDA urged citizens to only obtain enhancers prescribed by physicians. "In principle, sexual enhancers should only be sold by prescription, but some pharmacies sell…

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