Pacific Grove, CA: Fake Cancer Drugs Sourced To Canadian Company: View From A Private Duty Caregiver Serving Carmel, Carmel Valley, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Gilroy, Gonzalez, Greenfield, Hollister, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, San Juan Bautista, Seaside And Soledad California
I've written a number of stories on my blog about the horrible situation with a shortage of cancer drugs, as well as fake cancer drugs which have been imported into our country and given to unwitting patients who thought they were receiving a cure. Thankfully, it was reported on Wednesday that the government had gotten to the root of a recent problem, the distribution of fake Avastin in the United States. Many patients thought they were receiving this cancer treating drug but were actually getting a concoction of fake ingredients, some of which are harmful. The fake drugs contained starch, salt, cleaning solvent and other components but none of the active ingredient they were supposed to contain. Two Canadian businessmen which have been involved in importing numerous pharmaceuticals into the U.S are being investigated and one admitted to the Wall Street Journal that his companies shipped fake vials of Avastin here last year. He claims he doesn't know the drugs were fake. "We're deeply horrified by this counterfeit product being sold by one of my companies," he told the Journal. The fake Avastin was being sold in the U.S. for $1,995 for a 400-milligram vial, $405 less than the $2,400 price the actual manufacturer Roche charges. Investigators believe the fake drugs made a long journey from China, travelling through Egyptian and Turkish companies before entering the U.S. One regulator is investigating whether two Syrians helped transport the drugs out of Turkey. Fake drugs made in China commonly travel through the Middle East before hitting the U.S. market. The Canadian distributors being investigated are not authorized to sell Avastin in the U.S. and it's unclear whether the U.S. will try to charge and extradite the owners of the businesses. One lives in Barbados. Although it's uncommon for the government to go after individuals in cases like this because of their limited resources, they have the option of pursuing criminal charges. Doctors in the U.S. have also been warned that buying foreign-sourced drugs that don't meet FDA approval and charging them to Medicare can leave them facing criminal charges and the possible loss of their license. This is true even if the doctors aren't aware the drugs are foreign. Hopefully, this publicity will slow down the importation of illicit drugs. The last thing those suffering from cancer need is to find out that they thought they had been taking a cancer fighting drug but rather were being injected with cleaning solvents. What a terrible situation.
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2012/03/07/a-m-vitals-authorities-identify-drug-distributor-with-ties-to-fake-avastin/
About Richard Kuehn & Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey:
After more than a decade of caregiving, both in a professional environment and for a 97 year old family member I was dissatisfied with service from local caregiving agencies. I became convinced of the need for a service which provides very personal assistance to elderly and founded Family inHome Caregiving serving the Monterey Peninsula. Please visit my blog where I talk about important senior issues at:
http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/Blog
I've written a number of stories on my blog about the horrible situation with a shortage of cancer drugs, as well as fake cancer drugs which have been imported into our country and given to unwitting patients who thought they were receiving a cure. Thankfully, it was reported on Wednesday that the government had gotten to the root of a recent problem, the distribution of fake Avastin in the United States. Many patients thought they were receiving this cancer treating drug but were actually getting a concoction of fake ingredients, some of which are harmful. The fake drugs contained starch, salt, cleaning solvent and other components but none of the active ingredient they were supposed to contain. Two Canadian businessmen which have been involved in importing numerous pharmaceuticals into the U.S are being investigated and one admitted to the Wall Street Journal that his companies shipped fake vials of Avastin here last year. He claims he doesn't know the drugs were fake. "We're deeply horrified by this counterfeit product being sold by one of my companies," he told the Journal. The fake Avastin was being sold in the U.S. for $1,995 for a 400-milligram vial, $405 less than the $2,400 price the actual manufacturer Roche charges. Investigators believe the fake drugs made a long journey from China, travelling through Egyptian and Turkish companies before entering the U.S. One regulator is investigating whether two Syrians helped transport the drugs out of Turkey. Fake drugs made in China commonly travel through the Middle East before hitting the U.S. market. The Canadian distributors being investigated are not authorized to sell Avastin in the U.S. and it's unclear whether the U.S. will try to charge and extradite the owners of the businesses. One lives in Barbados. Although it's uncommon for the government to go after individuals in cases like this because of their limited resources, they have the option of pursuing criminal charges. Doctors in the U.S. have also been warned that buying foreign-sourced drugs that don't meet FDA approval and charging them to Medicare can leave them facing criminal charges and the possible loss of their license. This is true even if the doctors aren't aware the drugs are foreign. Hopefully, this publicity will slow down the importation of illicit drugs. The last thing those suffering from cancer need is to find out that they thought they had been taking a cancer fighting drug but rather were being injected with cleaning solvents. What a terrible situation.
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2012/03/07/a-m-vitals-authorities-identify-drug-distributor-with-ties-to-fake-avastin/
About Richard Kuehn & Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey:
After more than a decade of caregiving, both in a professional environment and for a 97 year old family member I was dissatisfied with service from local caregiving agencies. I became convinced of the need for a service which provides very personal assistance to elderly and founded Family inHome Caregiving serving the Monterey Peninsula. Please visit my blog where I talk about important senior issues at:
http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/Blog
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