Press Release - Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory ...

Press Release
Date: 27 June 2013
Time: 12:00
Contact: Press Office 020 3080 7651
Out of hours 07770 446 189
press.office@mhra.gsi.gov.uk
MHRA nets UK record £12.2 million haul of counterfeit and
unlicensed medicines
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) today
announced that it seized a record £12.2 million of counterfeit and unlicensed
medicines in the UK. This was part of a week-long international crackdown on
the illegal internet trade of medicines that seized over £26.8 million globally.
The crackdown – called Operation Pangea VI - was conducted between 18 June
and 25 June and resulted in 58 people being arrested worldwide. This operation
has also resulted in 9, 610 illegal online websites that were selling counterfeit
and unlicensed medicines being closed down or suspended through domain
name or payment facility removal.
Co-ordinated by INTERPOL and carried out by 99 countries across the globe,
the operation targeted the three main elements misused in the illegal website
trade – the internet infrastructure, the electronic payment system and the mail
delivery service.
Internationally, preliminary results show that more than 522,000 packages were
inspected by regulators and customs officials resulting in the seizure of over £9.9
million doses of unlicensed and counterfeit medicines worth approximately £26.8
million.
In the United Kingdom, enforcement officers from the MHRA, with assistance
from the Home Office UK Border Force and local police, raided addresses in
connection with the illegal internet supply of medicines.
This activity resulted in more than 3.7 million doses of unlicensed medicines
worth approximately £12.2 million, including 97,500 doses of counterfeit pills
being seized in the UK worth £525,000. The types of medicines the MHRA found
were those for slimming, hair loss and erectile dysfunction.
The MHRA’s Acting Head of Enforcement, Nimo Ahmed, said: “During one week
we have seized £12.2 million worth of counterfeit and unlicensed medicines.
These were being stored in unacceptable conditions and supplied through illegal
internet websites without prescriptions by people who are not qualified to

dispense medicines.
“When people buy medicines from an illegal website they don’t know what
they’re getting, where it came from or if it’s safe to take. The dose could be too
high or too low, or the ingredients could break down incorrectly in the body which
makes the medicine ineffective. They could also become victims of credit card or
identity fraud as well as downloading computer viruses.
“We have closed down 1288 of these illegal websites but people need to take the
time to see their GP about any problems they have with their health. People are
far more likely to get better faster if they are on the correct course of safely
prescribed medication.”
This year’s closure of illegal websites follows on from last year when
approximately 18,000 illegal pharmacy websites were shut down through domain
name or payment facility removal.
A representative from Home Office UK Border force said: “The work carried out
by Border Force officers as part of this joint operation makes clear just how
seriously we take the smuggling of fake and unlicensed medicines.
“Smugglers are only out to make a profit. These goods are often dangerous and
the proceeds can be used to fund serious organised crime.”
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Neal Patel, said: “It is hugely worrying that
prescription medicines are available from illicit websites. This is a serious patient
safety issue.
“Not only is supplying prescription only medicines without a prescription illegal, it
means that the user has no information about the ingredients, dosage
instructions, or potential side effects, so patients would not be receiving proper
healthcare advice.
“We would urge the public if they wish to buy medicines online to always check
that they are dealing with a genuine pharmacy.”
If someone suspects their medicine may be counterfeit, contact the MHRA’s
designated 24-hour anti-counterfeiting hotline on 020 3080 6701 or
counterfeit@mhra.gsi.gov.uk
Ends
Notes to Editor
1. Types of medicines seized include analgesic/pain relief, acne, narcolepsy,
anti-anxiety, breast cancer, erectile dysfunction / premature ejaculation,
weight-loss, antibiotics, anti-histamines, anti-viral, asthma, arthritis, breast
cancer, diabets, epilepsy medicine, eye drops, anti-Eczema / skin lightening,
anti-cholesterol, anabolic steroids, contact lenses, human growth hormones,
anti-depressants, psychoactive drugs, anti-abortion, skin tanning, Parkinson
medicine, weight loss, fertility drugs, renal failure.
2. Operation Pangea is an international initiative to target the illegal internet
trade in pharmaceutical products. It was instigated by the MHRA in April 2006
and started as the UK Internet Day of Action (IDA). In 2008 this was
broadened to an International Day of Action (Op Pangea I) involving eight
countries. 2009 saw the initiative expand to an International Week of Action

(Op Pangea II) involving 25 countries co-ordinated by INTERPOL. There
were 45 countries that participated in the 2010 operation, 85 in 2011, 100 in
2012 and 99 in this year’s operation.
3. The operation is the largest internet based enforcement action of its kind to
date and involves INTERPOL, the World Customs Organisation (WCO), the
Permanent Forum of International Pharmaceutical Crime (PFIPC) and the
Heads of Medicines Agencies Working Group of Enforcement Officers (HMA
WGEO) and the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP).
4. People should take prescription only medicine in consultation with their GP or
other healthcare professionals. These people have access to patient health
records and can take into account the risks and benefits associated with
every medicine as well as providing ongoing monitoring of the treatment.
5. Further information about purchasing medicines safely online can be found at
the following MHRA website
link:http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Safetyinformation/Generalsafetyinformationanda
dvice/Adviceandinformationforconsumers/counterfeitmedicinesanddevices/Fa
lsifiedmedicines/index.htm
6. The General Pharmaceutical Council operates an internet pharmacy logo to
help the public identify if a website is being operated by a bona fide
pharmacy in Great Britain.
7. The MHRA is the government agency responsible for ensuring that
medicines and medical devices work, and are acceptably safe. No product is
risk-free. Underpinning all our work lie robust and fact-based judgements to
ensure that the benefits to patients and the public justify the risks. We keep
watch over medicines and devices, and take any necessary action to protect
the public promptly if there is a problem. We encourage everyone – the public
and healthcare professionals as well as the industry – to tell us about any
problems with a medicine or medical device, to enable us to investigate and
take any necessary action. www.mhra.gov.uk