15 October 2010

Operation targets counterfeit drugs

Forty-five countries across the globe have taken part in an international operation targeting the online sale of counterfeit and illegal medicines.

Operation Pangea III ran between 5 – 12 October and resulted in 76 people either arrested or placed under investigation across the globe. It was staged to raise awareness of the dangers of buying medicines online.

The operation was the largest internet-based enforcement action of its kind to date and involved IMPACT, the World Customs Organisation (WCO), the Permanent Forum of International Pharmaceutical Crime (PFIPC) and the Heads of Medicines Agencies Working Group of Enforcement Officers (HMA WGEO).

Coordinated by INTERPOL and carried out with the assistance of police, customs and national medicines regulators, the global operation targeted the three main components abused in the illegal website trade – the Internet Service Provider (ISP), the electronic payment system and the delivery service.

Internationally, 267,855 packages were inspected by regulators and customs resulting in the seizure of 1,014,043 illicit and counterfeit pills worth an estimated £1.62 million ($2,598,163 (US)).

During the operation, internet monitoring revealed 694 websites potentially engaged in illegal activity including offering controlled or Prescription Only Drugs.

In the United Kingdom, enforcement officers from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with assistance from local police, raided premises linked to 12 websites being run from locations in London, Newcastle, Glasgow, Devon, Poole, Clacton-on-Sea, Ludlow and Boston in Lincolnshire.

The Metropolitan Police Central e-Crime Unit are currently working with ISPs to close down a further 183 websites. In addition, MHRA and UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers seized £570,000 worth of illicit medicines including quantities of controlled drugs.
The types of medicines the MHRA found included those for erectile dysfunction, weight loss, pain relief, human growth hormone, antidepressants and steroids.

MHRA Head of Enforcement, Mick Deats, said that what often looked like a professional online pharmacy could turn out to be an illicit website selling fake or illegal medication.

“These websites often look like the real deal, but if they don’t carry the internet pharmacy logo of the General Pharmaceutical Council and have a ‘bricks and mortar’ address, then they are often dealing illegally.

“This week we have recovered a range of different medicines being supplied with no prescription and stored in unacceptable conditions by persons unqualified to dispense medicines.

He added, “This international operation is the best way to deal with an international problem and is a great example of the collaboration needed to tackle this type of crime.”
If someone suspects their medicine may be counterfeit, contact the MHRA’s dedicated 24 hour anti-counterfeiting hotline by email to counterfeit@mhra.gsi.gov.uk