Pfizer sells Viagra online to combat fakes
Pfizer has launched a website to sell its erectile dysfunction blockbuster Viagra, in a bid to stop the sale of counterfeit pills from fake online pharmacies.The drugs giant says that the site, which is powered by CVS/pharmacy and accessible through Viagra.com, offers men in the USA with ED an opportunity to purchase Viagra (sildenafil) online with a valid prescription “from a trusted source”. Victor Clavelli, marketing group leader at Pfizer’s primary care business unit, noted that there are almost 24 million searches a year for Viagra online and “by offering men with ED convenient access and a legitimate alternative…our hope is that Pfizer will help rein in the distribution of fake ED products”.Matthew Bassiur, vice president of Pfizer Global Security, said that “we have seen counterfeit medicines manufactured in filthy and deplorable conditions, yet some people do not realise the risks that this poses to their health and safety, our top priority”. He noted that samples of counterfeit Viagra tested in the company’s labs have contained pesticides, wallboard, commercial paint and printer ink. In 2011, Pfizer Global Security evaluated 22 websites appearing in the top search results for the phrase “buy Viagra” and conducted chemical analysis of the pills advertised as Pfizer’s Viagra that were ordered from these outlets. The study found that about 80% of these pills were counterfeit, and while the fake Viagra pills contained sildenafil, the amount was only 30%-50% of what was advertised. The initiative will be closely watched by drugmakers, and indeed pharmacies and insurance firms, as the highly-unusual step of selling lifestyle treatments direct to patients may be seen by companies as an attractive proposition.
http://www.pharmatimes.com/Article/13-05-07/Pfizer_sells_Viagra_online_to_combat_fakes.aspx
Lear MoreWorld anti-counterfeiting day,2013, New Delhi
05/06/2013 | New Delhi
FICCI CASCADE with Ministry of Consumer affairs unveiled a consumer awareness campaign againstcounterfeiting and smuggling on the occasion of World Anti-Counterfeiting Day on 5th June, 2013.Mr.PankajAgarwala, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Foodand Public Distribution unveiling the campaign said that
“Awareness is the beginning of any change.From where I see it, all of us here are seeking a change in the popular culture of tolerance towardscounterfeit and contraband goods. The consumer needs to be made aware of the risks of buyingthese goods that are dangerous to their health and a risk to their safety. By insisting on a bill andchecking the label any consumer can start making a difference in the fight against this menace.”With this unveiling the Department of Consumer Affairs have launched the “JagoGarahakJagoCampaign” against smuggled and counterfeit products. The creative campaign stressed on thenegative socio-economic impact of counterfeiting and smuggling and the ill effects of this illicit tradeon the consumers.
The program highlighted the importance of consumer awareness to curb counterfeiting and smuggling and emphasized on addressing the demand for counterfeit and contraband products.
Dr. A. Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI welcoming the gathering said, “It is critical to the campaign taken up by FICCI-CASCADE that every consumer should have information on the menace and extent of counterfeiting and smuggling. With this vision, FICCI CASCADE has been working closely with the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. It is this synergy and the sincerity of Team FICCI CASCADE that has earned it Global Recognition Award by the Global Anti-counterfeiting Group, Paris in the Association category on the 28th May 2013. This Award Is an accolade recognising FICCI-CASCADE for its work so far which has been achieved with the continued support of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and is an excellent example of a public-privatepartnership. This award is the result of a continued and sustained campaign by FICCI CASCADE over the last twelve months.”
Mr. Anil Rajput, Chairman FICCI CASCADE thanking the dignitaries said that “We need to understand this better if we are to make any headway in our campaign against this menace. For instance, we need for all concerned to understand that a counterfeit product steals revenue from the government. This increases the deficit which in turn causes inflation. This in turn reduces the purchasing power of the consumer. Also, buying a “counterfeit and contraband product” knowingly means strengthening the distribution network of all products that are illegal, letting people take one step forward in the quicksand of “living in illegality”. And these steps can lead to help funding organized crime, or to guns and drugs in the hands of our children.”
Fraudster millionaire jailed for selling fake bomb detectors
A British millionaire businessman, who made an “outrageous” 50 million pounds from sales of over 7,000 fake bomb detectors to countries, including Iraq and Saudi Arabia, was jailed for 10 years today. James McCormick, 57, perpetrated a “callous confidence trick”, said the Old Bailey judge. The fraud “promoted a false sense of security” and contributed to death and injury, the judge said. He also described the profit as “outrageous”. Police earlier said the ADE-651 devices, modelled on a novelty golf ball finder, are still in use at some checkpoints. Sentencing McCormick, Judge Richard Hone said: “You are the driving force and sole director behind [the fraud].” “The device was useless, the profit outrageous, and your culpability as a fraudster has to be considered to be of the highest order,” the BBC quoted the judge as saying.
Fake cosmetics worth Rs 1 crore seized
You might be wondering why you are not getting the desired ‘googly-woogly wush’ cheeks despite repeatedly applying a particular cream bought in the state and its capital; because, it’s fake. A team comprising Patna police sleuths and the officials of the company making the original product conducted raid at a manufacturing unit at Noon ka Chauraha under Khajekala police station area in Patna City on Tuesday and seized fake products of Pond’s range worth Rs 1 crore.The company’s officials have been regularly checking retail shops selling the fake of its brand products in different localities of the town for the last couple of months. But after two years, the team could locate a factory producing such products in Patna City. Mustafa Hussain, an official of the company’s legal department, said, “The factories are located in densely populated residential areas. It becomes difficult to get the factories details but this time we succeeded in unearthing one factory. However, its owner, Mohammed Nazir Alam, managed to escape.
Lear MoreFake bike kit costing industry millions a year
Ten websites selling fake cycling kit such as counterfeit frames and jerseys have been shut down by US authorities – but one specialist has warned that the issue of fake goods is growing and costing the industry millions in lost revenue. Top American brand Specialized and Invista, the company behind Lycra and Coolmax fabric, worked with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officers in Houston, Texas, to shut down the international sites this week. Officers seized more than US$90,000 (almost £60,000) in funds from PayPal and other accounts connected with the operations. However, Andrew Love, of Specialized’s Brand Security, Global Investigations, and Legal Enforcement department, told BikeRadar: “We’re under sustained attack right now.” Love, whose full time job is to hunt forgeries, shut down US$20,000 of counterfeit business in 2007 but saw that figure escalate to a massive US$5.2m in 2012. “We’re already halfway there this year,” he said, adding that quality of the counterfeits was “all over the place” but the best was improving all the time, making it harder for consumers to spot fakes.
http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/fake-bike-kit-costing-industry-millions-a-year-37212/
Lear MoreFake branded cosmetics worth Rs 10 lakh seized
A team of Patna police, assisted by Hindustan Unilever Limited ( HUL) officials, on Saturday conducted raids at two cosmetics godowns at Nageshwar Colony under Buddha Colony police station area here and seized fake cosmetics of the nationally reputed brands worth Rs 10 lakh. The godown owner, Deepak Kumar, has been arrested and an FIR lodged against him. The seized products included shampoos, body lotions, face packs, face creams, cohol and mascara, hand wash, make-up kits, hair colour, baby diapers, shaving kits, detergents, dental products and hair products. SSP, Patna, Manu Maharaj, said after the raids, “Police will take stringent action against persons involved in the business of fake cosmetics. Such cosmetics are dangerous for health, so we will ensure that a chargesheet is filed at the earliest. The police will also ensure that this business is stopped permanently.” Murtaja Hussain, an official of the HUL’s legal department, said, “Many shops in the heart of the city also openly retail such fake products. But sealing the godowns was important as their owners are the suppliers of such products in Patna market.” State drug controller Hemant Kumar Sinha said, “Most of the seized products are made in Delhi or Ludhiana but carry the labels of a number of foreign brands. Low-quality skincare products might damage the skin. The fake branded cosmetics have found their way not only to small outlets but also the supermarkets and malls.” Some products are even made locally. Hussain said, “Earlier also, we had helped police seize such fake cosmetics from various reputed stores in the city. But we failed to bust the factories where such products are made.” When the cosmetics company officials surveyed the local market, they were surprised to find the stores full with their products. But there was no matching demand from the company of the products from Patna market. “We sent the samples of various products to laboratories to check their genuineness. Only after getting reports from the laboratories that the products were fake, we helped the police seal the godowns and stores dealing in them,” said Hussain.
Lear MoreFDA develops handheld device to spot fake malaria drugs.
The Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday that U.S. partners in Ghana will begin using a federally developed handheld device to screen for fake or diluted versions of two common malaria pills.
More than a third of malaria-fighting pills used in Africa and Asia are either fake or bad quality, according to a study released last year. Rampant drug counterfeiting has undermined efforts to fight the mosquito-borne disease, which causes fever, chills and flu-like illness. Malaria kills more than 660,000 people each year, more than 90 percent of them in Africa.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-develops-handheld-device-to-spot-fake-malaria-drugs/
Lear MoreToo good to be true: the real price of fake products
When we hear the word counterfeiting we tend to think of criminal gangs printing bags of money. However, according to the Vice President of the European Commission Antonio Tajani, counterfeiting activities account for over 200 billion euro in losses for the world economy in the market for medicines, fashion goods, food products, car parts, electrical appliances, cosmetics and children’s toys, and it’s getting worse. “They harm the European economy, as they damage legitimate business and starve innovation. And fake goods compete unfairly with genuine products, putting many jobs at risk in Europe,” says Tajani. According to the European Union the problem of counterfeiting poses health and safety risks and “has become a major handicap to growth and employment.” In a bid to combat this new plight Tajani and Commissioner Michel Barnier, responsible for internal market and services, recently called upon European citizens to be aware of the risk of buying fake goods. The latest EU campaign to raise awareness of counterfeiting and the impact it has on local business aims to promote closer co-operation between the European Commission, national authorities – including law enforcement agencies and customs – and consumers, producers and trade associations to stop the production and circulation of counterfeit goods and calls on all Europeans to “make a stand against fake products and buy original products.”
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/23659-too-good-to-be-true-the-real-price-of-fake-products/
Lear MoreAnti-Counterfeiters Focus On Organised Crime, Softer Public Message
The unsuspecting consumer must above all be protected against counterfeit products, speakers said today at meeting of private sector, intergovernmental and governmental representatives. But increasingly organised crime is dealing the products, and anti-counterfeiting forces need to be as innovative as possible to defeat it. Fortunately, the private sector is ready to step up to help cash-strapped governments, and it is taking the “respect for IP” message to … children. The 7th Global Congress on Combatting Counterfeiting and Piracy is taking place from 23-25 April in Istanbul, Turkey, one of the world’s biggest international crossroads. The congress is co-sponsored by the World Customs Organization, World Intellectual Property Organization and Interpol. Turkey has been telling the world for years that there is terrorism supported by trafficking, smuggling, money and counterfeit products that it cannot stop from leaking through its long, mountainous borders, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the opening of the meeting. “No one is losing lives due to bullets or bombs in Turkey, but toxic drugs” are killing its young people, he said, adding an appeal for help from other nations.
Kunio Mikuriya, secretary general of the World Customs Organization (WCO), said organised crime networks are “deeply involved,” making huge profits from illicit trade. But now the problem is the internet, with money crossing borders. They keep innovating, so “we have to innovate too,” he said. He cited an example of customs moving into IPM technology in the mobile sector, allowing a scan of items to determine their legitimacy. World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry said intellectual property provides a basis for market order, and is a means of converting knowledge into assets. It is a framework in which intellectual assets can be traded, he said.
Lear MoreFICCI-CASCADE Seminar on ‘Curbing Counterfeiting and Smuggling – An Imperative for Indian Economy, West Bengal
23/4/2013 | Kolkata
The 9th consultation was in augurated by Shri Sadhan Pande, Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge, Department of Consumer Affairs, GoWB. Hon’ble Minister pointed out that counterfeiting is detrimental to the Government, the original brand owner, the consumer and it has socio economic impacts as well. TheGovernment loses taxes, adopts expensive preventive measures and has to compensate for public healthcare and welfare. Consumer Affairs Department has given paramount importance to generate awareness. Different activities relating to consumer protection are being carried out with greater momentum than before. The do-s and don’t s are highlighted, also seminars on consumer education involving consumer activists, students, NGOs and other stakeholders are being arranged.
Mr. Gaurav Swarup, Chairman, FICCI West Bengal State Council in his welcome address said counterfeiting which is termed as the crime of the 21st century accounts for almost 10% of the current global trade. Intensifying consumer awareness is one of the ways out to curb counterfeit and there is a need to develop a proactive strategy to create mass awareness on this increasingly growing peril. The seminar was attended by over 140 representatives from Government, Industry, Consumer organizations, leading NGOs, Media and other stakeholders.
The key points which emerged from the deliberations are as follows:
1. There is a need to generate and spread more awareness on the hazardous impact of contrabandand counterfeit products by all stakeholders
2. Brand owners must also take an active part and more dedicated efforts to be put in by the industry
3. Generate awareness of personnel not only at regular channels of trade, but at all points of influx including border police and coast guard
4. There is adequate legal framework but more effective and strengthened enforcement is required
5. To ensure effective enforcement adequate funding is necessary along with developing relevant
expertise, information and knowledge base and most importantly willingness to enforce
6. Form special cell in enforcement branch only to tackle with problem of counterfeiting
7. Use of civil remedies, to ensure that complainant persists till the end of the litigation
8. Industry should register trademark with the enforcement authorities and customs
9. Provision for a 5 year plan with specific focus on eradication of the problem of counterfeiting.
