Media Reports on Medicines Quality - US Pharmacopeial Convention

Israel
Anti-impotence
drugs, antinarcolepsy
drugs,
contraceptives,
antibiotics, and
psychotropics
Viagra, Cialis
Viagra
Weight loss pills,
erectile dysfunction
pills
Former Health Minister Taher Hawrami estimates that expired
and counterfeit medication account for 18% of all medications
in Kurdistan.
According to a pharmaceutical manufacturers committee at the
Manufacturers Association of Israel (MAI), sales of out-of-date,
counterfeit, and stolen medicine for human and veterinary use
reached NIS 100-130 million (USD $28-37 million) in 2007.
Inspectors from the Israeli police and Health Ministry seized
around 6,000 pills suspected of being fake in Tel Aviv, Haifa,
and Jerusalem. Among those seized were anti-impotence drugs,
anti-narcolepsy drugs, contraceptives, antibiotics, and
psychotropics. According to the Health Ministry, more than
50% of prescription medications advertised in Israel’s print
media are counterfeit.
The Health Ministry issued an injunction to shut down Neve
Avivim Pharmacy in Ramat Aviv. The pharmacists were selling
second-hand and expired medicines as well as medicines from
unknown sources.
Following an extensive undercover investigation, police raided a
factory in Israel and confiscated “huge quantities” of fake
Viagra and Cialis pills.
Between 2007 and 2009, Israeli authorities reported 438,410
confiscated pills that were identified by Pfizer as fake Viagra.
The Health Ministry’s Pharmaceutical Crimes Unit says that at
least four people have been hospitalized so far as a result of
taking counterfeit diet pills that are marketed as “natural.”
Officials have arrested a woman and seized quantities of “Slim
Extreme” pills as well as counterfeit Viagra. In November,
approximately 230,000 counterfeit diet pills were seized at the
port of Ashdod.
Mohammad, M. Iraqi Kurdistan: 4,000 unlicensed
pharmacies and hundreds of victims. Al-Hayat
(Pan Arab). Nov 16, 2012
MAI: Sale of counterfeit and out of date
pharmaceuticals in 2007 was NIS100-130
million. Port 2 Port. Apr 14, 2008. Available at:
www.port2port.com Accessed April 15, 2008
Siegel-Itzkovich, J. Israel joins world effort to
halt counterfeit drug sales. The Jerusalem Post.
Nov 16, 2008. Available at: www.jpost.com
Accessed Nov 17, 2008
Rozenberg, R. Fake drugs may bring you fake
health. Haaretz. Nov 29, 2009. Available at:
www.haartz.com Accessed Nov 30, 2009
Simmons, R. Israeli factory producing fake
Viagra and Cialis. UK Medix. Feb 28, 2010.
Available at: www.ukmedix.com Accessed Mar
1, 2010
Nissan, Y. Fake Viagra most prevalent counterfeit
drug in Israel. Globes. Sep 15, 2010. Available at:
www.globes.co.il Accessed Sep 27, 2010
Lappin, Y. Police affairs: fatal ingestion. The
Jerusalem Post. Jan 28, 2011. Available at:
www.jpost.com Accessed Jan 28, 2011
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