Media Reports on Medicines Quality - US Pharmacopeial Convention

Viagra, others
Pancre-plus
100 million capsules filled with sawdust and wheat flour, sold
under 201 different brands of medication.
Police in Zhejiang province arrested 263 suspects who allegedly
manufactured and sold fake medicines and healthcare products.
More than 1,000 police officers raided 41 dens.
The U.S. FDA and ICE are jointly investigating the illegal
importation of counterfeit drugs from China to the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. A Chinese
woman has been charged with trafficking counterfeit goods,
introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce, and
receipt and delivery of misbranded drugs in interstate
commerce.
Chinese authorities shut down 829 websites and online stores
that were involved in selling counterfeit goods (including
medicines) in a 6-month campaign from December 2010 to May
2011.
The Beijing Drug Administration confirmed that a patient died
in Beijing Tongren Hospital after being given counterfeit
medicine. According to an official, the drug had no Chinese
label or license code.
The Department of Health in Hong Kong warned the public
about a fake proprietary Chinese medicine (pCm), Pancre-plus,
that contains two undeclared Western drugs (glibenclamide and
phenformin) that lower blood sugar. Glibenclamide is a Part 1
poison and a prescription medicine, while phenformin has been
banned since 1985 because of high incidence of lactic acidosis,
a fatal condition. An investigation into the fakes began
following the hospitalization of a Chinese man who developed
hypoglycemia after taking the fake drug.
Shanghai police raided 59 dens of 27 gangs and confiscated
approximately 5.5 million capsules of more than70 kinds of
medicines. The value of the fakes was estimated at USD $7.7
million, and 96 people have been arrested.
Hundreds arrested for making, selling fake
medicine. China Daily. May 25, 2011. Available
at: www.chinadaily.com.cn Accessed Jun 2,
2011.
De la Torre, F. FDA, ICE joint probe on illegal
importation of fake Viagra. Saipan Tribune. May
10, 2011. Available at: www.saipantribune.com
Accessed May 9, 2011.
829 websites closed in counterfeit crackdown.
China Daily. Jul 15, 2011. Available at:
www.chinadaily.com.cn Accessed Jul 18, 2011
Pan, Z. Patient of Beijing Tongren Hospital dies
of fake drug. Shanghai Daily. Available at:
www.shanghaidaily.com Accessed Jul 5, 2011
Recall of adulterated fake proprietary Chinese
medicine. 7 th Space Interactive. Aug 16, 2011.
Available at: www.7thspace.com
Accessed Aug 16, 2011
96 Chinese held in fake medicine racket. Daily
News and Analysis. Nov 30, 2011. Available at:
www.dnaindia.com Accessed Nov 30, 2011
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