Media Reports on Medicines Quality - US Pharmacopeial Convention

dysfunction
medicines (Viagra
and Cialis)
Mebthra (bone
cancer medicine)
Tamiflu (avian
influenza
medicine)
Listril (high blood
pressure) and
Octride-100
(antihemorrhagic)
by customs officials in a post office in Prague, the Czech
Republic. The package was mailed from India.
In a study by the International Policy Network (IPN),
researchers found that at least 5% of medicines sold by
pharmacies in Chennai are substandard. Only 62% of Chennai’s
pharmacies sold high quality medicines, and about 38% stock
substandard or fake medicines. In Delhi, 80% of medical shops
sell substandard or fake medicines. About 92% of all
pharmacists interviewed for the study admitted to being offered
substandard or spurious medicines for cheaper prices.
Impex, a pharmaceutical distributor in New Delhi, was fined for
selling spurious injections of Mebthra 500mg, a drug for bone
cancer. The company has no import license to procure the drug.
A drug advertised online as “generic Tamiflu” could pose health
risks to those allergic to penicillin. The US FDA says that drugs
it purchased do not contain the active ingredient, oseltamivir;
instead, they contain cloxacillin, an antibiotic in the same class
as penicillin. The packaging the drugs came in lists the
manufacturer as Trydrugs Pharmaceutical PVT LTD and was
postmarked from India. There is no generic version of Tamiflu.
Authorities seized fake medicines worth Rs5 lakh (USD
$10,800) from a courier shop in Aminabad market. The shop did
not have a license to sell medicines.
Police arrested one person and confiscated 7,500 tablets of
Listril (for high blood pressure) and 60 units of Octride-100 (for
hemorrhage). Investigators noticed that the packaging on the
medicines displayed phony trademarks.
The number of people arrested for manufacturing and selling
fake medicines rose from 12 in 2007 to 147 in 2009. Medicines
worth about USD $6.5 million were seized during that
timeframe.
from India. Prague Monitor. Mar 24, 2010.
Available at: www.praguemonitor.com Accessed
Mar 25, 2010
City sold on fake drugs: Study. Deccan Chronicle.
May 21, 2010. Available at:
www.deccanchronicle.com Accessed Jun 2, 2010.
Nair, H. Distributor in spot for fake drugs.
Hindustan Times. Jun 16, 2010. Available at:
www.hindustantimes.com Accessed Jun 16, 2010
Fake Tamiflu poses health risk. CBC News. Jun
18, 2010. Available at: www.cbc.ca Accessed Jun
21, 2010
Fake medicines worth Rs5 lakh recovered from
shop in Lucknow. Daily News and Analysis. Jul
3, 2010. Available at: www.dnaindia.com
Accessed Jul 12, 2010
Miller, G. India reports change in fakedistribution
tactic. Fierce Pharma Manufacturing.
Aug 16, 2010. Available at:
www.fiercepharmamanufacturing.com Accessed
Aug 18, 2010
Lakshmi, R. India’s market in generic drugs also
leads to counterfeiting. The Washington Post. Sep
11, 2010. Available at: www.washingtonpost.com
Accessed Sep 13, 2010
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