Gang busted for making fake drug
By Wang Xiang |
July 13, 2010, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
POLICE in Wuhan City have busted a gang that produced a fake drug by using a steroid hormone and sold them online to at least 3,000 people.
The drug was advertised as a miracle cure for rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and high blood pressure. It was made by six junior high school drop-outs in a filthy workshop in Wuhan, Beijing Times reported yesterday.
The gang allegedly confessed to police that they can not even read the names of their products. But they claimed themselves the Beijing International Institute of Bone Diseases on the website and named their capsules Orencia, the same as an injection for rheumatoid arthritis made by US-based BMS.
The gang had a turnover of more than 1 million yuan (US$147,670) according to their online sales record, the report said.
Wuhan Police were tipped off about the counterfeiters in June 2009. Officers pinned down the manufacturer through the delivery company after they pretended to be patients and ordered some of the capsules.
The medicine factory was found in an apartment. Their medicine was only a mix of a steroid hormone called prednisone and the cheapest Chinese herb available on market.
The ingredients were chopped up and smashed into powder before they were stuffed in the capsules. Workers used their hands and the process was not sterilized.
Most customers told the newspaper that the drug made them feel better. Some customers had been taking the medicine for years.
Wuhan Drugs Administration official Li Guanglong said the prednisone made the patients feel better. As an immunosuppressant, prednisone can inhibit the body's immune system and make the patient feel less pain without actually helping.
The Chinese herbs were used to make the capsule taste more like medicine.
Li said prednisone can be addictive if used for extended periods of time. Long-time use of prednisone can lead to high blood pressure, fragile bones, and stomach ulcers.
Guangzhou Daily reported yesterday that most online pharmacies were not licensed.
The State Food and Drug Administration has only permitted 12 online shops to sell medicines, the report said.
The drug was advertised as a miracle cure for rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and high blood pressure. It was made by six junior high school drop-outs in a filthy workshop in Wuhan, Beijing Times reported yesterday.
The gang allegedly confessed to police that they can not even read the names of their products. But they claimed themselves the Beijing International Institute of Bone Diseases on the website and named their capsules Orencia, the same as an injection for rheumatoid arthritis made by US-based BMS.
The gang had a turnover of more than 1 million yuan (US$147,670) according to their online sales record, the report said.
Wuhan Police were tipped off about the counterfeiters in June 2009. Officers pinned down the manufacturer through the delivery company after they pretended to be patients and ordered some of the capsules.
The medicine factory was found in an apartment. Their medicine was only a mix of a steroid hormone called prednisone and the cheapest Chinese herb available on market.
The ingredients were chopped up and smashed into powder before they were stuffed in the capsules. Workers used their hands and the process was not sterilized.
Most customers told the newspaper that the drug made them feel better. Some customers had been taking the medicine for years.
Wuhan Drugs Administration official Li Guanglong said the prednisone made the patients feel better. As an immunosuppressant, prednisone can inhibit the body's immune system and make the patient feel less pain without actually helping.
The Chinese herbs were used to make the capsule taste more like medicine.
Li said prednisone can be addictive if used for extended periods of time. Long-time use of prednisone can lead to high blood pressure, fragile bones, and stomach ulcers.
Guangzhou Daily reported yesterday that most online pharmacies were not licensed.
The State Food and Drug Administration has only permitted 12 online shops to sell medicines, the report said.
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