Bill takes on drug counterfeiters
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., introduces legislation March 11 to beef up penalties to deter counterfeiting of prescription and nonprescription drugs. Under the Counterfeit Drug Prevention Act of 2009, H.R. 1450, counterfeit manufacturers and complicit wholesalers would face up to 20 years in prison or, in the event a fake product results in a consumer's death, a life sentence. Rogers says sales of counterfeit drugs by 2010 are expected to reach $75 billion, more than 10 percent of global pharmaceutical sales. Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals' CEO was sentenced to 50 months in prison for counterfeit drug charges (1"The Tan Sheet" Feb. 9, 2009, In Brief)