|
Weekly Update | August 31, 2010 |
|
|
Stolen Carbatrol
and Adderall XR - Check Lot Numbers
A pharmaceutical company recently alerted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that some drugs taken during a 2008
pharmaceutical cargo theft may be beginning to reappear in the market.
On
October 17, 2008, a shipment of
Carbatrol and Adderall XR made by Shire Pharmaceuticals was stolen en route
between the company's manufacturing facility in North Carolina and a distribution
center in Florence, Kentucky.
In
the theft nearly 35,000 capsules of Carbatrol, which expired between April 30
and May 31 of this year, were stolen.
|
|
Shire
recently announced that some of these stolen pharmaceuticals have begun to
appear in its expired returns and that some of the pilfered medication may
still be on the market.
Shire
warns that the drugs taken during pharmaceutical cargo thefts are unsafe
because they may have experienced improper storage and handling or tampering
outside of the secure supply chain.
The
product lot numbers for the stolen Carbatrol and Adderall XR are 2172127 and
2385012, respectively. Those who come in contact with these products should
contact the FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations at 1-800-551-3989. The
Agency is also asking for the public's help in reporting any information regarding
the stolen Carbatrol or Adderall XR, including suspicious or unsolicited offers
for these products, by contacting OCI at the above number, or by visiting the
OCI website at www.fda.gov/oci.
|
Top News
Nine Tons of Counterfeit Drugs Seized
by Authorities in East Africa According
to Interpol, Authorities have seized 9,072 kilograms (20,000 pounds) of
counterfeit medicine and arrested 80 people suspected of illegal trafficking in
six East African nations. More than 300 premises were checked or raided in the
two-month operation across Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zanzibar, according to the Interpol news
release. Representatives of the six nations are scheduled to meet in Zanzibar next week to discuss the seizure
and the extent of the counterfeiting problem. ("9 tons of fake medicine seized
in East
Africa," CNN, August 26,
2010; Story
here) |
World News
United States: Canadian Man Goes to Prison for Dealing Counterfeit Drugs The U.S.
Attorney's Office announced last week that a Canadian man was sentenced to
nearly three years in prison for selling counterfeit cancer drugs on the
Internet. Hazim Gaber was indicted by a federal grand jury in last June on five
counts of wire fraud for selling counterfeit cancer drugs through the website
DCAdvice.com. According to the plea agreement, Hazim charged over $100 for 100
grams of the fake drug that was later determined to contain starch, dextrin,
dextrose or lactose, but did not contain any active ingredient. ("Canadian man
sentenced for Internet cancer drug fraud," ABC
15, August 25, 2010; Story
here) Switzerland: 75% Increase in counterfeit drugs imported into Switzerland The amount
of counterfeit drugs arriving in Switzerland increased 75 percent in the first
half of the year, according to health officials. The Swiss Agency for
Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic) said that it had received 992 reports of
suspicious, potentially counterfeit drug imports from Federal Customs officials
through the first half of 2010, according to SwissInfo.ch. That number
represents a 75 percent increase over the first six months of 2009. (Partnership for Safe Medicines, August
24, 2010; Link
here) United States: Feds Crackdown on Online Pharmacies in Utah and Illinois Federal
authorities are beginning to crackdown on online pharmacies that distribute
prescription drugs without prescriptions. Federal agents recently filed court
papers in Illinois and Utah over two online pharmacies that are
allegedly run by the same man, Kyle Rootsaert, according to CNN. The agents had
obtained search warrant affidavits for the two pharmacies in Des Plaines, Illinois, and American Fork, Utah. (Partnership for Safe Medicines, August 24,
2010; Link
here)
|
Events
Anti-counterfeiting Americas (Boston, USA)
When: Wednesday, Sep 8, 2010
Where: Boston, USA
PSM's Inaugural 2010 Interchange When: Friday, Oct 8, 2010 Where: Washington, D.C.The Partnership for Safe Medicines invites you to save the date for an intimate conference bringing together patient groups, providers, pharmaceutical company quality experts, enforcement personnel, policymakers, regulatory agency experts and other interested parties to discuss key issues around counterfeit drugs and other unsafe medicines. Register by August 1st to take advantage of reduced registration fees.
|
|
About the Partnership for Safe Medicines
The Partnership for Safe Medicines is a group of organizations and individuals that have policies, procedures, or programs to protect consumers from counterfeit or contraband medicines. For more information, please visit SafeMedicines.org.
| |
|