Press release
Date: 29 September 2011
Time: 13:00
Contact: Press Office 020 3080 7651
or press.office@mhra.gsi.gov.uk
Out-of-hours 07770 446 189
More than £5 million worth of counterfeit and illegal medicines has been seized across the globe as part of a week-long international crackdown on the illicit internet trade in pharmaceuticals.
The operation is the largest internet-targeting enforcement action of its kind with 80 countries participating in this year’s event, almost twice as many as took part in 2010.
Operation Pangea IV ran between 20–27 September and resulted in 55 people being arrested, or placed under investigation, worldwide. It also saw an estimated 13,500 illegal online pharmacy websites being shut down.
Internationally, more than 45,000 packages were inspected by regulators and customs officials resulting in the seizure of approximately 2.5 million doses of unlicensed and counterfeit pills being sold illegally.
Co-ordinated by INTERPOL and carried out with the assistance of police, customs and national medicines regulators, the operation targeted the three main elements misused in the illegal website trade – the internet infrastructure, the electronic payment system and the mail delivery service.
In the United Kingdom, enforcement officers from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with assistance from local police, arrested 13 people and raided 16 addresses in connection with the illegal internet supply of medicines.
In conjunction with the UK Border Agency, the MHRA seized more than one million doses of illegal medicine worth approximately £2 million, including 52,000 doses of counterfeit pills.
MHRA Acting Head of Enforcement, Nimo Ahmed, said that any online pharmacy that supplies ‘prescription only’ medicine without evidence of a prescription is committing an offence.
“This week we have recovered a range of medicines being supplied without prescriptions and stored in unacceptable conditions by people who are not qualified to dispense medicines. An illegal supplier may be good at setting up a website but that does not make them a pharmacist.
“When you buy medicines from an unregulated source you don’t know what you’re getting, where it came from or if it’s safe to take,” he said. “The dose could be too high or too low, or the ingredients could break down incorrectly in the body which makes the medicine ineffective.
“Illegal suppliers do not adhere to quality control or standards that are required in the licensed trade. If people could see the filthy conditions some of these medicines are being made, stored and transported in, they certainly wouldn’t touch them.
“Don’t be tempted by cut price medicines and promises of ‘next day delivery’. Taking short cuts could expose you to a dangerous counterfeit or substandard medicine, or you could be the victim of identity theft or credit card fraud.
“The bottom line is that there are no quick fixes when it comes to your health. Take the time to see your GP to identify the cause of your symptoms. You are more likely to get better faster if you are on the correct course of prescribed medication.”
Working alongside the MHRA, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Police Central eCrime Unit (PCeU) also took action to combat those profiting from the unlawful sale and distribution of pharmaceuticals online.
More than 12,000 generic top level domains and sub domains have been suspended and they have requested a further 500 domain names on the UK domain tree be shut down.
Specifically, in support of Operation Pangea, the PCeU has also identified web pages being used by persons to unlawfully offer to supply unlicensed and counterfeit pharmaceuticals, targeting the UK general public. Approximately 600 web pages have been suspended in response to PCeU requests made to internet market places and social media sites.
Detective Superintendent Charlie McMurdie, said, "This action is being taken as part of our continuing efforts to reduce the harm caused to the UK economy and to UK citizens by those making use of the internet to commit crime.
“We support the MHRA’s International Internet Week of Action and appreciate the steps taken by others to support our efforts."
UKBA Senior Operations Manager - Coventry International Hub, Chris Bagley, said, “The massive haul detected by our officers during this week of action makes it clear just how seriously we take the smuggling of fake and unlicensed medicines.
“As well as stopping drugs, weapons and illegal immigrants from reaching the UK, our officers have a vital role to play in protecting the British public and businesses from the trade in black market medicines.
“Smugglers are only out to make a profit. These goods are often dangerous and the proceeds can be used to fund serious organised crime.”
If someone suspects their medicine may be counterfeit, contact the MHRA’s designated 24-hour anti-counterfeiting hotline, counterfeit@mhra.gsi.gov.uk.
Notes to Editor
Operation Pangea is an international initiative to target the illegal internet trade in pharmaceutical products. It was instigated by the MHRA in April 2006 and started as the UK Internet Day of Action (IDA). There have been four IDAs to date. In 2008 this was broadened to an International Day of Action (Operation Pangea I) involving eight countries. 2009 saw the initiative expand to an International Week of Action (Op Pangea II) involving 25 countries co-ordinated by INTERPOL. There were 45 countries that participated in the 2010 operation, and this year’s operation (Pangea IV) again doubled the countries involved to 80.
The operation is the largest internet based enforcement action of its kind to date and involved INTERPOL, 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).
The types of medicines the MHRA found included those for epilepsy, asthma, acne, narcolepsy, breast cancer, erectile dysfunction, weight-loss, pain relief, hair-loss, human growth hormone, anabolic steroids, anti-depressants.
People should take prescription only medicine in consultation with their GP or other healthcare professionals. These people have access to patient health records and can take into account the risks and benefits associated with every medicine.
Further information about purchasing medicines safely online
The General Pharmaceutical Council (external link) operates an internet pharmacy logo to help the public identify if a website is being operated by a bona fide pharmacy in Great Britain.
The MHRA is the government Agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work, and are acceptably safe. No product is risk-free. Underpinning all our work lie robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits to patients and the public justify the risks. We keep watch over medicines and devices, and take any necessary action to protect the public promptly if there is a problem. We encourage everyone – the public and healthcare professionals as well as the industry – to tell us about any problems with a medicine or medical device, to enable us to investigate and take any necessary action.
Date: 29 September 2011
Time: 13:00
Contact: Press Office 020 3080 7651
or press.office@mhra.gsi.gov.uk
Out-of-hours 07770 446 189
More than £5 million worth of counterfeit and illegal medicines has been seized across the globe as part of a week-long international crackdown on the illicit internet trade in pharmaceuticals.
The operation is the largest internet-targeting enforcement action of its kind with 80 countries participating in this year’s event, almost twice as many as took part in 2010.
Operation Pangea IV ran between 20–27 September and resulted in 55 people being arrested, or placed under investigation, worldwide. It also saw an estimated 13,500 illegal online pharmacy websites being shut down.
Internationally, more than 45,000 packages were inspected by regulators and customs officials resulting in the seizure of approximately 2.5 million doses of unlicensed and counterfeit pills being sold illegally.
Co-ordinated by INTERPOL and carried out with the assistance of police, customs and national medicines regulators, the operation targeted the three main elements misused in the illegal website trade – the internet infrastructure, the electronic payment system and the mail delivery service.
In the United Kingdom, enforcement officers from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with assistance from local police, arrested 13 people and raided 16 addresses in connection with the illegal internet supply of medicines.
In conjunction with the UK Border Agency, the MHRA seized more than one million doses of illegal medicine worth approximately £2 million, including 52,000 doses of counterfeit pills.
MHRA Acting Head of Enforcement, Nimo Ahmed, said that any online pharmacy that supplies ‘prescription only’ medicine without evidence of a prescription is committing an offence.
“This week we have recovered a range of medicines being supplied without prescriptions and stored in unacceptable conditions by people who are not qualified to dispense medicines. An illegal supplier may be good at setting up a website but that does not make them a pharmacist.
“When you buy medicines from an unregulated source you don’t know what you’re getting, where it came from or if it’s safe to take,” he said. “The dose could be too high or too low, or the ingredients could break down incorrectly in the body which makes the medicine ineffective.
“Illegal suppliers do not adhere to quality control or standards that are required in the licensed trade. If people could see the filthy conditions some of these medicines are being made, stored and transported in, they certainly wouldn’t touch them.
“Don’t be tempted by cut price medicines and promises of ‘next day delivery’. Taking short cuts could expose you to a dangerous counterfeit or substandard medicine, or you could be the victim of identity theft or credit card fraud.
“The bottom line is that there are no quick fixes when it comes to your health. Take the time to see your GP to identify the cause of your symptoms. You are more likely to get better faster if you are on the correct course of prescribed medication.”
Working alongside the MHRA, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Police Central eCrime Unit (PCeU) also took action to combat those profiting from the unlawful sale and distribution of pharmaceuticals online.
More than 12,000 generic top level domains and sub domains have been suspended and they have requested a further 500 domain names on the UK domain tree be shut down.
Specifically, in support of Operation Pangea, the PCeU has also identified web pages being used by persons to unlawfully offer to supply unlicensed and counterfeit pharmaceuticals, targeting the UK general public. Approximately 600 web pages have been suspended in response to PCeU requests made to internet market places and social media sites.
Detective Superintendent Charlie McMurdie, said, "This action is being taken as part of our continuing efforts to reduce the harm caused to the UK economy and to UK citizens by those making use of the internet to commit crime.
“We support the MHRA’s International Internet Week of Action and appreciate the steps taken by others to support our efforts."
UKBA Senior Operations Manager - Coventry International Hub, Chris Bagley, said, “The massive haul detected by our officers during this week of action makes it clear just how seriously we take the smuggling of fake and unlicensed medicines.
“As well as stopping drugs, weapons and illegal immigrants from reaching the UK, our officers have a vital role to play in protecting the British public and businesses from the trade in black market medicines.
“Smugglers are only out to make a profit. These goods are often dangerous and the proceeds can be used to fund serious organised crime.”
If someone suspects their medicine may be counterfeit, contact the MHRA’s designated 24-hour anti-counterfeiting hotline, counterfeit@mhra.gsi.gov.uk.
Notes to Editor
Operation Pangea is an international initiative to target the illegal internet trade in pharmaceutical products. It was instigated by the MHRA in April 2006 and started as the UK Internet Day of Action (IDA). There have been four IDAs to date. In 2008 this was broadened to an International Day of Action (Operation Pangea I) involving eight countries. 2009 saw the initiative expand to an International Week of Action (Op Pangea II) involving 25 countries co-ordinated by INTERPOL. There were 45 countries that participated in the 2010 operation, and this year’s operation (Pangea IV) again doubled the countries involved to 80.
The operation is the largest internet based enforcement action of its kind to date and involved INTERPOL, 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).
The types of medicines the MHRA found included those for epilepsy, asthma, acne, narcolepsy, breast cancer, erectile dysfunction, weight-loss, pain relief, hair-loss, human growth hormone, anabolic steroids, anti-depressants.
People should take prescription only medicine in consultation with their GP or other healthcare professionals. These people have access to patient health records and can take into account the risks and benefits associated with every medicine.
Further information about purchasing medicines safely online
The General Pharmaceutical Council (external link) operates an internet pharmacy logo to help the public identify if a website is being operated by a bona fide pharmacy in Great Britain.
The MHRA is the government Agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work, and are acceptably safe. No product is risk-free. Underpinning all our work lie robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits to patients and the public justify the risks. We keep watch over medicines and devices, and take any necessary action to protect the public promptly if there is a problem. We encourage everyone – the public and healthcare professionals as well as the industry – to tell us about any problems with a medicine or medical device, to enable us to investigate and take any necessary action.
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