Media Reports on Medicines Quality - US Pharmacopeial Convention

Human serum
albumin (HSA)
Viagra (erectile
dysfunction
medicines)
Avastin
Erectile
dysfunction
medicines (Viagra
and Cialis)
SFDA confirmed that 200 bottles of human serum albumin
(HSA) seized from a man at a Shanghai bus station contained no
real proteins, which would cause “serious harm” to a consumer.
At least 776 counterfeit packs of Viagra were found in two
Australian states. Tests showed that the fakes contained
incorrect amounts of active ingredient. Counterfeits with the
same batch number that have been seized in other countries
have been traced to China.
CCTV, China’s state-run television station, reported that Baidu
and other search engines had profited from promoting three
websites offering counterfeit medicines. Those websites duped
more than 3,000 people in China.
Police arrested 6 suspects for producing and selling 20 kinds of
fake medicines worth 1 million yuan (USD $147,000) during
three years of illegal operation in Wuhan, Hubei province. The
medicines, which were sold through two online drug stores,
claimed to treat diseases such as rheumatism and asthma.
The SFDA announced that a drug purported to be Avastin
(batch #B6001B01) is counterfeit. A total of 116 people were
given the fake medicine in early September at a Shanghai
hospital; 61 of those patients reported inflammation and poor
vision and were hospitalized. Of those, 17 patients underwent
surgery.
A Chinese national was sentenced to a year in prison in the US
for conspiring to distribute counterfeit pharmaceuticals and
trafficking in pharmaceuticals with false labeling and counterfeit
trademarks. The man used a Hong Kong-based company to
obtain and distribute counterfeit Viagra and Cialis in the US.
Shipping documents accompanying the seized counterfeits
showed that the drugs were exported from mainland China and
Hong Kong.
According to the SFDA, the licenses of nearly 300 websites
were revoked this year, 66 of which were spreading information
Yinbin, N. Man detained over counterfeit drugs.
Shanghai Daily. Jun 2, 2010. Available at:
www.shanghaidaily.com Accessed Jun 2, 2010
Bennett, S. Fake Viagra in Australia prompts
search for source. Bloomberg Businessweek. Jun
21, 2010. Available at: www.businessweek.com
Accessed Jun 21, 2010
Lee, M. and Oreskovic, A. Baidu promotes fake
drug sites–Chinese TV station. Reuters. Jul 19,
2010. Available at: www.ca.reuters.com Accessed
Jul 27, 2010
Xin, C. and Rui, G. Police bust fake medicine
ring in central China. China Daily. Jul 13, 2010.
Available at: www.chinadaily.com.cn Accessed
Jul 13, 2010
Xu, A. Hospital pays patients hurt by eye drug.
Shanghai Daily. Sep 25, 2010. Available at:
www.shanghaidaily.com Accessed Sep 27, 2010
Chinese counterfeit drug distributor sentenced to
prison. The Cypress Times. Nov 17, 2010.
Available at: www.thecypresstimes.com
Accessed Nov 18, 2010
Jin, J. More monitoring of online access to
counterfeit drugs. Global Times. Nov 17, 2010.
© 2003-2012 The United States Pharmacopeial Convention Inc. All rights reserved 30