£15.8 million UK haul of fake drugs
pharmafile | June 19, 2015 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Sales and Marketing | MHRA, counterfeit, drugs, fake, interpol
Counterfeit and unlicensed medicines and devices worth £15.8 million have been seized in the UK as part of a global crackdown on the illegal internet trade, co-ordinated by INTERPOL.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced the seizures, which are the biggest recorded to date in the UK and include “huge quantities of illegally supplied and potentially harmful” pills ostensibly to treat slimming, erectile dysfunction, anaemia and narcolepsy.
These come as part of a month-long operation, Operation Pangea VIII, in 115 countries which has uncovered £51.6 million worth of such items and led to 156 arrests.
Alastair Jeffrey, MHRA head of enforcement, says the figures – which include 15,000 devices in the UK alone – are almost twice as much as were recorded last year, which is “clear evidence that this is a growing concern that has to be taken seriously”.
In the UK 1,380 websites offering falsified, counterfeit and unlicensed medicines were closed down as part of the operation: the majority of the products seized originated from India, China, Hong Kong and Singapore.
YouTube accounts were targeted, with more than 320 videos advertising the contraband taken down.
“Criminals involved in the illegal supply of medical products through the internet aren’t interested in your health – they are interested in your money and are able to get this by selling you a potentially dangerous product, or by stealing your bank details,” Jeffrey says.
Worldwide almost 150,000 packages were inspected by regulators and customs officials, and 20.7 million doses of fake products were impounded.
In addition to local police forces, the organisations involved included The World Customs Organization (WCO), the Permanent Forum of International Pharmaceutical Crime (PFIPC), the Heads of Medicines Agencies Working Group of Enforcement Officers (WGEO), Europol and the Pharmaceutical Security Institute (PSI).
Private sector companies including LegitScript, Google, Mastercard, Visa, American Express and PayPal also helped in the operation.
Anyone with information can contact MHRA’s designated 24-hour anti-counterfeiting hotline on 020 3080 6701 or go to counterfeit@mhra.gsi.gov.uk.
Adam Hill
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