A national campaign targeting counterfeit drugs was launched on 27 March jointly by the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) and Ministry of Public Security through a notice issued to all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities.  The notice calls for mutual coordination and cooperation between local food, drug and law enforcement agencies in "combating" the production and sales of counterfeit and inferior drugs.  Local authorities are encouraged...

The US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs, Dara Corrigan, testified Wednesday (28 March) before a House subcommittee investigating drug counterfeiting, saying she believes FDA is moving to become an agency with a global focus built upon global partnerships. Speaking before the House Committee on the Judiciary's Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, Corrigan said FDA "intend[s] to further transform FDA over...

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said the agency needs more authority to deal with counterfeit drug products like the fake Avastin that found its way into the supply chain last month. Speaking with CNN , Hamburg noted the fake Avastin has "focused new attention and concern on counterfeit drugs," which she hopes will make it easier to work with Congress. "They're considering some legislation that would give the FDA stronger authority...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is calling for a prescription drug tracking system to ensure the pharmaceutical supply chain's integrity, reports The Financial Times . Janet Woodcock, director of FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on 8 March and called for Congress to grant FDA additional authority to secure the supply chain. "Currently there is no complete record of all parties who have b...

A report in the International Journal of Clinical Practice has found that the market for counterfeit pharmaceuticals has "doubled in the last five years to more than $75 million," reports Medical News Today . The reports notes that the increase is threatening the integrity of secure supply chains-an issue that came to prominence last week as counterfeit copies of the oncology drug Avastin were found in the US . Many of the counterfeit drugs don't contain the active...

Counterfeit copies of Avastin-an oncology drug with numerous indications-is casting a harsh spotlight on the safety of the pharmaceutical supply chain and causing experts to ask how it can be strengthened. Perhaps the most prominent idea put forth by experts is a so-called 'track and trace' system for verifying pharmaceutical integrity. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to release a proposal for such a system within the coming year, notes the Associ...

Counterfeit copies of Roche Holding AG's anticancer drug Avastin (bevacizumab) have been found in the US, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned on 14 February. According to investigators at Genentech, a subsidiary of Roche, the counterfeit copies did not contain the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) that makes the drug safe and effective for its approved indications. Reporting by The Wall Street Journal indicates that supplies of the counterfeit produ...