The Partnership for Safe Medicines
Weekly UpdateAugust 31, 2010
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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 (Bosto
n, USA)
When: Wednesday, Sep 8, 2010
Where: Boston, USA
Description: Link here


PSM's Inaugural 2010 Interchange

When: Friday, Oct 8, 2010
Where: Washington, D.C
.

PSM InterchangeThe 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.

Register Now
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.