Counterfeit Medicines Are a Problem in the European Union—A Problem that is Continuing to Grow

According to a report from Europol’s Intellectual Property Crime Threat Assessment 2019, “Counterfeit pharmaceuticals pose a growing threat to the EU, affecting a large number of Member States. A wide and increasingly diverse range of medicines is targeted by counterfeiters.”
The Europol ICP Threat Assessment reports that there has been an increase in seizures of counterfeit drugs used in the treatment of serious illnesses, as well as a growing number of counterfeit drug incidents affecting the legal drug supply chain. 

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Security Breach Illustrates Another Danger of Fake Online Pharmacies

Planet Drugs Direct, an online pharmacy based in Winnipeg, Canada, has announced a data breach. Hackers broke into their servers, exposing customers’ names, medical details, and contact and banking information. Legitscript is unequivocal in calling Planet Drugs Direct a “Rogue Internet Pharmacy,” their worst rating for online pharmacies, accusing them of violating state and federal laws.

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UK House of Commons: No Deal Brexit Exposes U.K. to Both Counterfeit Medication and Medication Shortages

In a report published by the House of Commons, experts in the field of prescription medication described a dire situation for medicine safety in the United Kingdom (UK) if a “no-deal” departure from the European Union (EU) happens. The report noted, “Witnesses told us that, without provisions with the EU to continue to exchange data, the UK would be shut out of critical EU data exchanges on pharmacovigilance, falsified medicines and clinical trials.”

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UK Study Finds Fake Online Pharmacies May Feed Antibiotic Resistance

A small-scale study in the United Kingdom has found that 75% of the assessed online pharmacies that offer drugs for sale in the UK are unregistered as legitimate pharmacies, and most offer antibiotics without a prescription. This finding could be a serious driver of microbial resistance. Obtaining Antibiotics Online from within the UK: a Cross-Sectional…

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It’s Not Just the United States: Fake Diet Pills Are a Real Problem in the U.K.

The United Kingdom’s Medicines & Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has launched an information and safety campaign concerning dangerous fake diet pills. The MHRA is asking U.K. residents to not take chances with lose-weight-fast promises with their “Dodgy Diet Pills” campaign, warning consumers that “fake or unlicensed medical products sold as slimming pills are untested,” and…

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Royal Pharmaceutical Society and ITV’s Daybreak Find 99% of UK Pharmacists Think Patients Who Shop at Fake Online Pharmacies Are Endangering Themselves

Royal Pharmaceutical Society and UK morning show Daybreak surveyed 2,500 UK pharmacists on fake online pharmacies. Results show counterfeit drugs and fake online pharmacies are a growing threat to patients in the United Kingdom as well as the United States. A 2013 survey of pharmacists in the United Kingdom found that UK patients are exposing…

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