Clinical Oncology News - Counterfeit Chemo

part 1 of 2

This is the first article in a two-part special report on fraudulent drugs in the United States. Part II—focusing on the sources of fraud and efforts to prevent it—will be published in the July issue of Clinical Oncology News.

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By the Numbers: Counterfeit Drugs

147	Number of U.S. practices or physicians who may have purchased fake Avastin from QSP
1,986	Number of counterfeiting, illegal diversion and theft incidents worldwide in 2011
484	Number of incidents recorded in 2003
2.5 million	Number of fake pharmaceutical items seized at European Union borders in 2006
20%-25%	Percentage of medicines in India that are fake
200,000-300,000	Number of people in China who die from, or because of, fake medicines each year
Sources: The Partnership for Safe Medicines, European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines, The Pharmaceutical Security Institute, Wall Street Journal, World Health Organization.