Counterfeit Drugs – The Silent Killer of Our Time?

Don’t do the Crime unless you can do the Time – At least that is how the saying goes. But what kind of deterrent is a relatively short sentence vs. the potential loss of thousands of lives?

Recently Mr. Kevin Xu, a known counterfeiter from China was sentenced for his role in a massive plan to distribute counterfeit drugs here in the United States.

He sold counterfeit drugs to U.S. citizens via the Internet. The income from the sales in the U.S. in 2007 totaled $232,568.

His next step was to make inroads into the legitimate supply chain. In negotiations with undercover agents he thought were potential buyers, he listed 25 drugs he could manufacture. These medications included Tamiflu, Plavix, Zyprexa, Aricept and Casodex. What’s more, the samples he provided to “the buyers” looked identical to the real pills.

His plan was ultimately foiled by the undercover agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA).

In their investigation, agents also learned that Xu distributed counterfeit pharmaceuticals in the United Kingdom which had penetrated the legitimate supply chain in London, and prompted a massive recall for Zyprexa, Plavix and Casodex by the Medicines Health and Regulatory Agency in London, England.

Xu received more than $1.5 million from selling counterfeit pharmaceuticals globally in 2007 alone, yet his sentence was only 6 ½ years!