Five defendants in UK court for fake medicines scam

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Five defendants in UK court for fake medicines scam

Phil 13-Dec-2010

The trial of five men accused of carrying out one of Europe's biggest counterfeit medicines operations - including one pharmacist - got underway in the UK earlier this month.Pharmacist Quinn and collaborators Ian Harding, Gillespie, Kemp and Ian Gillespie have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to defraud pharmaceutical wholesalers, pharmacists, the public and holders of intellectual property rights by dishonestly distributing counterfeit medicines for gain.The gang stand accused of sourcing counterfeit medicines from China and trying to infiltrate the UK supply chain with counterfeit versions of life-saving medicines such as Sanofi-Aventis' heart medicine Plavix (clopidogrel), AstraZeneca's prostate cancer treatment Casodex (bicalutamide) and Eli Lilly's Zyprexa (olanzapine) for schizophrenia. All three drugs were subject to Class I recalls when they were discovered in circulation in 2007, and the incident remains arguably the most serious breach of supply chain security in the EU. It is also the first occasion in which counterfeit medicines were known to have entered the supply chain via parallel imports - the medicines came from China via Singapore to Belgium, and then entered the UK market.Quinn et al are also accused of selling or supplying Casodex and Plavix without a marketing authorisation and of selling or distributing counterfeit Casodex and Plavix. The defendants apart from Quinn also face the same charges relating to Zyprexa.The trial is expected to take several weeks and a verdict is not expected until March 2011 at the earliest.© 2010 SecuringPharma.com http://www.securingpharma.com/40/articles/770.php

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Anonymous

Trial begins of five men accused in fake medicine scam

December 27 2010, 11:01 AM

Trial begins of five men accused in fake medicine scamThe Irish Times - Tuesday, December 7, 2010http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2010/1207/1224284926955.htmlFIVE MEN have been accused of orchestrating a multi-million pound fake medicine scam by importing counterfeit drugs for cancer, heart disease and schizophrenia from China to sell in the United Kingdom.This case is considered to represent the most serious breach of the medicine control regime its the most serious breach that has happened in the EU, Crown Prosecution Service lawyer Marshall told Croydon Crown Court.Ian Gillespie (59), Quinn and Gillespie (64) from Hertfordshire; Kemp (61) from North Wales; and Ian Harding (58) from Wiltshire, all deny charges of conspiracy to defraud.The prosecution alleges that the five imported fake versions of Zyprexa, a medicine used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder; Casodex, a treatment for advanced prostate cancer; and Plavix, used to treat ischemic heart disease from a Chinese counterfeiter named Lu Xu.He has since been jailed in the United States after he was caught by detectives running an undercover sting about another medicine unconnected to the charges facing the five defendants.In his opening statement in the trial, which is expected to last for four months, Mr Marshall highlighted the gains to be made from illegal drugs, pointing that 145,000 patients in the UK were prescribed Zyprexa last year at a cost of £80 (94) for 28 tablets, or £13.5m in total. Casodex costs £128 a pack, while Plavix costs £35 a pack, he told the court, adding that the prosecution was taken after a major investigation by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.All five also face charges of selling or supplying Casodex and Plavix without a marketing authorisation, and of selling or distributing counterfeit Casodex and Plavix; all, bar Mr Quinn, are accused of selling fake Zyprexa. Mr Gillespie is also charged with acting as a company director while disqualified for allegedly running a medical supplies company in Basingstoke even though he was disqualified for bankruptcy five years ago.The purpose of this activity is not some beneficial motivation. Its to obtain the profits of buying illegal goods cheaply and selling them as if they were genuine, said Mr Marshall. The system has been corrupted and in particular patients, we suggest, put at risk.

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MHRA bring charges against Consolidated Medical Supplies Ltd

December 27 2010, 11:12 AM

Gang Of "Greedy" Businessmen In Fake-Medicines Plot

http://squaremilenews.blogspot.com/2010/12/gang-of-greedy-businessmen-in-fake.html

Five men accused of a multi-million pound pharmaceutical plot involving bogus Chinese-manufactured life-saving drugs - Europe's biggest ever - were simply motivated by "pure greed" a jury were told yesterday.

Medicine watchdogs ordered a Class One recall of all suspected drugs - taken by heart and cancer patients and the mentally ill - resulting in shelves cleared in pharmacies all over the country.

"They were prepared to make profits by feeding duff drugs to people with serious illnesses, prostrate cancer, heart disease and psychiatric issues," prosecutor Mr. Marshall told Croydon Crown Court.

Charges were brought following a two-year investigation by the Medicines and Health Care products Regulatory Agency, part of the Department of Health into Consolidated Medical Supplies Ltd.

The company, of Unit 14, Sherrington Way, Lister Road, Industrial Estate, Basingstoke, had its Wholesale Dealers Licence revoked by the MHRA on January 8, 2008.

"This is considered the most serious breach of medicine control, the importation of counterfeit medicines into the system," explained Mr. Marshall.

"The most serious in the European Union, with far-reaching effects for pharmaceutical companies, patients and the confidence of the general public.

"The purpose is just greed. To obtain the profits of buying illegal goods cheaply."

The charges relate to 'Casodex',(pic.top) used to treat advanced prostate cancer, 'Plavix',(pic.mid) a drug prescribed to prevent blood clots and prevent heart attacks for angina patients and 'Zyprexa'(pic.bottom) a anti-psychotic drug prescribed to schizophrenic and bipolar patients.

The five defendants are: Ian Gillespie, 58, of The Green, Marsh Baldon, Oxford; Gillespie, 64, of High Street, Bovingdon, Hemel Hempstead; Ian Harding, 58, of Lower Westwood, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire; Quinn, 69, of Holloway Drive, Virginia Water, Surrey and Kemp, 61, of School Lane, Y Waen, Flint Mountain, Clwyd.

All five have pleaded not guilty that between January 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007, they conspired together and with others to defraud pharmaceutical wholesalers, pharmacists, the public and holders of Intellectual Property Rights in pharmaceuticals by dishonestly distributing for gain counterfeit medicines.

They also deny two counts each of selling or supplying the three drugs without authorisation and selling or supplying counterfeit goods, namely the three medicines, between January 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007.

Gillespie alone denies one count of breaching a company director disqualification order between July, 2005 and June, 2007, following his bankruptcy.

"They are just importing danger," added Mr. Marshall. "The drugs imported are not extensively and expensively tested, but instead have been smuggled into the EU and distributed regardless of their chemical qualities."

The drugs were manufactured by the notorious Chinese pharmaceutical counterfeiter Lu Xu aka Xu, currently serving a prison sentence for a similar scam in the United States.

His bogus drugs were imported via Singapore and Belgium before being ferried and driven into the U.K and distributed by the five defendants.

"It is not just about pharmaceutical companies, but real people exposed to these drugs and their rights not to have their health interfered with," explained Mr. Marshall.

"The public have been defrauded, the system has been compromised and patients put at risk.

"No-one pretended these were cheap counterfeits, they were pretended to be real. These men are not a charity importing cheaper drugs, it is I am afraid, pure greed in order to make money, working totally outside the system.

"They are all medicines for which there is high demand and are quite expensive. All are prescription-only medicines for serious illnesses."

If the 145,000 Zyprexa patients in the U.K. bought only one 28-tablet pack per year they would pay a total of £13.8 million.

"It is the illegal importation and distribution of counterfeit medicines and the placing of them in the legitimate supply chain with the intention to shove out legitimate products," added Mr. Marshall.

The bogus drugs originally purported to be destined for the French market, but by 'parallel trading' they were altered for the U.K.

"A factory was set up to do this with expensive machinery," said the prosecutor. "They tried to get them into our system and used the fact they were French as a disguise to introduce counterfeits.

"These were lifesaving medicines designed to save the lives and help the health of patients.

"They managed to get quite a lot of medicines into the legitimate supply system before they were shut down and some made their way to patients."

The trial is expected to last four months.