News Archive

• JDSU sees growth in anti-counterfeit technologies business

  03-Feb-12 - JDS Uniphase has seen "steadily rising demand" for its anti-counterfeit technologies in the second quarter of its fiscal year, with combined sales for pharma and currency applications rising 13 per cent year-on-year.

• AlpVision plans expansion into other sectors in 2012

  03-Feb-12 - Buoyed by double-digit revenue gains in 2011, AlpVision is planning to expand in 2012 beyond its traditional focus on the pharmaceutical and tobacco sectors.

• Sproxil claims milestone with 1 millionth medicine verification

  03-Feb-12 - More than one million people in Africa have checked their medicines using the text-message based verification service developed by Sproxil, marking a major milestone for the company.

• EDQM showcases eTACT traceability system

  30-Jan-12 - The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines (EDQM) has confirmed its intention to continue the development of its eTACT drug traceability system.

• EC seeks comment on GMP for active substances

  25-Jan-12 - The EC has published its latest concept paper designed to invite comment on the implementation of last year’s falsified medicines directive, this time looking at GMP for active substances.

• Discovery of miltefosine fakes highlights need for simple assays

  25-Jan-12 - The discovery of counterfeit generic miltefosine capsules for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis serves to underscore the urgent need for simple, inexpensive assays to evaluate medicines quality in the field.

• Nigeria seeks mandatory life terms for medicine counterfeiters

  24-Jan-12 - The government of Nigeria is seeking a compulsory life sentence in jail for anyone found guilty of medicines counterfeiting, according to an article in the Tribune newspaper.

• Pakistan shuts down pharma facility after deaths

  24-Jan-12 - The authorities in Pakistan have shut down a manufacturing facility in Punjab on suspicion of producing substandard and potentially spurious medicines that have killed dozens of people, according to local news reports.

• US generic drug user fee proposals mean more facilities inspections

  24-Jan-12 - Manufacturers of APIs and finished dosage forms destined for the US market will be subject to more frequent inspections if Congress adopts the FDA's proposals for a new a Generic Drug User Fee Act.

• Counterfeit antimalarials in Africa on the rise, caution scientists

  22-Jan-12 - Researchers are recommending "multiple parallel strategies" to stave off an alarming rise in fake and substandard antimalarials in Africa.

• Pharma cargo thefts decline in 2011

  20-Jan-12 - The number of thefts of pharmaceutical shipments declined significantly in 2011, with fewer cases and a much lower average value per incident, according to data compiled by security firm Freightwatch.

• UK teen dies of Internet pill overdose

  19-Jan-12 - The dangers of ordering medicines over the Internet have once again been thrust into the limelight, following the death of an 18-year-old man in the UK.

• US counterfeit drug seizures up 200 per cent in 2011

  19-Jan-12 - Seizures of counterfeit pharmaceuticals by US customs almost tripled in 2011 compared to the previous year, thanks in part to greater enforcement activity. The value of goods seized rose by $11m to reach $16.8m.

• Drug shortages raising supply chain risk, says FDA

  17-Jan-12 - The US FDA has warned healthcare providers to be vigilant when sourcing injectable cancer medicines, because current shortages could encourage unscrupulous individuals to introduce unapproved and potentially counterfeit drugs into the supply chain.

• Study reveals counterfeit medicine patterns in Brazil

  17-Jan-12 - Steroids and drugs for erectile dysfunction topped the list of counterfeited medicines seized by the authorities in Brazil between 2007 and 2010, says a new study.

• Verify Brand unveils new traceability software version

  13-Jan-12 - Verify Brand has launched version 4.0 of its VB Enterprise software, designed to support serialisation initiatives and track-and-trace applications across the supply chain.

• USP publishes draft general chapter on supply chain integrity

  08-Jan-12 - USP has published its proposed general chapter on good distribution practices to ensure pharmaceutical supply chain integrity and is seeking comments.

• Vesdo test labels help verify datamatrix reader systems

  08-Jan-12 - Switzerland's Vesdo Ltd has introduced a set of test labels that can be used to set up, test and validate datamatrix reading systems used on packaging lines.

• Counterfeit clippings: global news round-up

  08-Jan-12 - SecuringPharma.com's round-up of pharmaceutical supply chain security news from the world's press features reports from India, Ghana, Uganda, China and Nigeria.

• Aegate appoints new CEO after departure of Gary Noon

  06-Jan-12 - Pharmaceutical authentication specialist Aegate has appointed Michael Peace as its new chief executive following the departure of former CEO Gary Noon after more than six years in the role.

• Rogue Hong Kong pharmacies targeting tourists

  03-Jan-12 - Pharmacies are springing up at tourist areas in Hong Kong in order to peddle counterfeit medicines to visitors from mainland China, according to the regional government.

• India delays barcoding initiative after High Court challenge

  22-Dec-11 - Rumours of a six-month delay in India's barcoding plans for exported medicines have been confirmed today by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).

• CJEU ruling on in-transit goods sheds some light on detainment conundrum

  20-Dec-11 - An EU court has ruled that shipments coming from a non-EU country that are in transit can only be classified as counterfeit – and detained under anti-piracy laws– if they are intended for sale in the EU.

• EC consults on equivalence test for imported APIs

  19-Dec-11 - The EC has released a concept paper explaining future procedures for assessing whether APIs imported from third countries have been manufactured under the same strict standards as those of the EU.

• EDQM suspends five API certificates

  18-Dec-11 - The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & Healthcare (EDQM) suspended five certificates of suitability (CEPs) for active pharmaceutical ingredients after inspections of manufacturing sites in October and November.

• Substandards generally cheaper than counterfeits, says study

  16-Dec-11 - A study has demonstrated for the first time that while counterfeit medicines are generally priced similarly to genuine products, substandard medicines are usually noticeably cheaper.

• Counterfeit surgical mesh distributor pleads guilty

  14-Dec-11 - Medical device distributor Ram Medical has admitted selling counterfeit and contaminated surgical mesh in the USA that it had purchased from suppliers in the Middle East and India.

• Label combines holograms, 2D datamatrix and thermal monitoring

  14-Dec-11 - Scriba Nanotecnologie has launched a miniaturised 2D datamatrix technology that can be combined with holograms and other reflective surfaces to provide authentication, cold-chain and traceability features.

• Brazil's ANVISA drops security seal for medicine traceability

  13-Dec-11 - Brazil has published updated guidance on its plans for a traceability system for medicines, removing an earlier requirement for a security seal in favour of serialised 2D datamatrix codes printed directly onto secondary packaging.

• CDPA bill clears Senate Judiciary Committee

  09-Dec-11 - The Senate Judiciary Committee approved bipartisan legislation in the USA yesterday that would increase penalties for trafficking counterfeit drugs.

• Cargo theft showing 'alarming' rise in Argentina

  08-Dec-11 - Argentina experienced an alarming rise in cargo theft in the third quarter of 2011 which has been hiking transportation costs, according to logistics security specialist FreightWatch.

• DHL launches real-time cargo tracker

  08-Dec-11 - Freight specialist DHL has launched a real-time, wireless tracker device for cargo that it says is the first device of its kind to meet specifications laid out by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

• Public health, and WHO, should be at the heart of counterfeit medicines fight

  08-Dec-11 - Public health, and not intellectual property or trade issues, should be the prime consideration in defining and combating counterfeit and substandard medicines, according to an article in PLoS Medicine.

• Gillespie appeal bid rejected by UK High Court

  07-Dec-11 - The UK High Court has thrown out an appeal by Peter Gillespie, who was sentenced to eight years in jail earlier this year for his part in the infiltration of more than two million counterfeit doses of life-saving medicines into the UK supply chain.

• TruTag appoints brand protection veteran as new president

  07-Dec-11 - Hawaii-based brand protection company TruTag Technologies has appointed Kent Mansfield as its new president.

• China unveils five-year drug safety plan

  07-Dec-11 - China formally adopted new measures designed to increase the safety and security of its internal pharmaceutical market at a meeting of the State Council today.

• White House launches campaign against IP crimes

  05-Dec-11 - The US government launched a campaign last week to raise awareness among the public of intellectual property crimes.

• Counterfeit Viread also on market, says MHRA

  02-Dec-11 - Counterfeit versions of Gilead's HIV drug Viread have been found in the UK market, in addition to the fake Truvada identified late last month, says the MHRA.

• Goose Tracker gains ground with Indian pharma industry

  02-Dec-11 - In a bid to combat the growing threat of counterfeits, three Indian pharma companies have decided to install track-and-trace software from Goose Technologies.

• Counterfeit phentermine weight loss tablets found in US

  29-Nov-11 - Counterfeit phentermine weight loss tablets containing the banned drug fenfluramine are being passed off as the legitimate product of generics manufacturer Actavis Elizabeth LLC.

• Pharma label specialist ATL licenses authentication tech from DSS

  28-Nov-11 - Security and pharmaceutical label maker ATL has signed a licensing agreement allowing it to use Document Security Systems AuthentiGuard suite of technologies in its anti-counterfeiting labels.

• Mead Johnson suffers another infant formula theft

  27-Nov-11 - Mead Johnson was hit by cargo thieves over the Thanksgiving holiday period in the USA, losing a shipment of infant formula worth $225-$250,000.

• Counterfeits cause parallel importer to withdraw product in Denmark

  25-Nov-11 - A Danish supplier of parallel-imported and generic pharmaceuticals has been forced to withdraw an HIV medicine from the market because it has been compromised by the presence of counterfeits.

• ACTA's impact on generics questionable

  25-Nov-11 - Taken at face value, ACTA should have little effect on access to generic medicines in the developing world because patents are expressly excluded from the scope of its border enforcement measures.

• Cambodian wholesalers urgently need anti-counterfeiting guidelines

  24-Nov-11 - A study by Cambodia's drug regulatory authority has found that a significant number of wholesalers in the country are unsure about the definition of counterfeit medicine and are not adequately informed about the issues surrounding fake drugs.

• EC seeks comment on unique medicine identifiers

  23-Nov-11 - The European Commission has published a concept paper on the unique identifier for medicines, outlined in the EU falsified medicines directive and due to be fleshed out via the delegated acts process.

• Counterfeit medicine peddlers jailed in UK

  23-Nov-11 - Two men were jailed for a total of two years in a UK court yesterday on charges of conspiring to supply counterfeit medicines via an online pharmacy.

• Finnish team unveils cheaper, greener hologram technology

  23-Nov-11 - Finnish researchers say they have developed an ecological, light scattering film technology that could have broad brand protection applications.

• US bill would set $20m max fine for counterfeiting medicines

  18-Nov-11 - Lawmakers in the USA proposed a bill yesterday which would dramatically increase the penalties for the sale, manufacture and trafficking of counterfeit medicines.

• Hydrochloric acid shortage worrying, says Rx-360

  18-Nov-11 - Industry group Rx-360 is warning drugmakers to be on their guard for specification failures among shipments of technical grade hydrochloric acid (HCl), used for a number of processes within the pharmaceutical sector.