Media Reports on Medicines Quality - US Pharmacopeial Convention

Medicines for
diabetes, high
blood pressure,
rabies, and others
Erectile
dysfunction pills
(Viagra)
Antimalarials
Erectile
dysfunction pills
(Viagra)
Cholesterol pills
(Lipitor), erectile
dysfunction pills
(Viagra, Cialis),
and anti-anxiety
pills (Xanax)
Chinese police detained nearly 2,000 people and seized more
than $180 million worth of counterfeit products in a nationwide
sweep on fake drugs. Some 1,100 production facilities were
“destroyed.” The fakes purported to treat illnesses ranging from
rabies to high blood pressure to diabetes, but they caused many
health problems, including kidney and liver damage and heart
failure.
The FDA and public security bureau of Nanjin’s Qixia district
seized fake Viagra during a surprise check of adult stores. The
pills looked so real that the experts could not distinguish them,
but the China headquarters of Pfizer confirmed they were fakes.
In a study carried out by American Enterprise Institute’s Roger
Bate and a team, it was found that 8% of generic malaria
products that were approved by WHO and sold in Accra, Ghana
and Lagos, Nigeria did not pass quality control tests. Nearly all
of these were produced in China.
Police arrested 15 people suspected of making and selling fake
medicines in Guangdong and Fujian provinces. In March,
customs had intercepted more than 1.6 million fake Viagra pills.
After arresting a US-based distributor, federal authorities in the
US are looking for a Chinese national who allegedly heads the
counterfeit medicine ring that the distributor worked for. During
a raid on the distributor’s home in Puerto Rico, more than
100,000 fake pills of Viagra, Lipitor, Cialis, and Xanax were
seized.
Police closed 147,000 sites that manufacture fake food or drugs
in the past year. During the same period, 185,000 criminal cases
linked to counterfeiting have been resolved.
In a joint operation between the US and China, 18 websites
were shut down. The websites were hosted by Chinese speakers
and mainly targeted Chinese Americans around the world. Onethird
of the websites were selling illegal or counterfeit dietary
China detains almost 2,000 in fake drug sweep.
Reuters. Aug 4, 2012. Available at:
www.reuters.com Accessed Aug 6, 2012
Fake Vagra found in Nanjing. People’s Daily
Online. Jul 13, 2012. Available at:
www.peopledaily.com.cn Accessed Jul 23, 2012
Bate, R. Chinese regulator must crack down on
drug producers who cut corners. AEI. Jul 11,
2012. Available at: www.aei.org Accessed Jul 11,
2012
15 arrested for making and selling fake medicine
in Fujian & Guangdong. What’s on Xiamen? Aug
9, 2012. Available at: www.whatsonxiamen.com
Accessed Aug 9, 2012
Palmer, E. Internet drug dealer gets 10 years but
feds want his Chinese boss. Fierce Pharma. Aug
14, 2012. Available at:
www.fiercepharmamanufacturing.com Accessed
Aug 14, 2012
Taylor, N. China closes 147,000 fake food and
drug sites. Securing Pharma. Aug 29, 2012.
Available at: www.securingpharma.com
Accessed Aug 31, 2012
Juan, S. China helps bust US drug websites. Sep
4, 2012. Available at: www.chinadaily.com
Accessed Sep 4, 2012.
© 2003-2012 The United States Pharmacopeial Convention Inc. All rights reserved 34