Outrage over millions of HIV drug frauds

Million fraud with HIV drugs outraged politicians and professionals

25/02/2011

As reported, the public prosecutor's office Trier, Lübeck and Flensburg have taken up the investigation against several pharmaceutical wholesalers because of the suspicion of a million fraud with HIV medicines. In view of the alleged millions of frauds with subsidized medicines, indignation in politics is hardly to be slowed down. After all, it was only in difficult negotiations with the pharmaceutical manufacturers that the goal of the international community of nations had been achieved and the supply of urgently required medicines at affordable prices in the developing countries ensured. Now, some pharmaceutical wholesalers have apparently taken advantage of this and imported the subsidized HIV drugs from South Africa back to Germany, repackaged and sold with high millions of dollars.

Millions of dollars in HIV drug fraud
According to estimates by the AOK-Niedersachsen, the damage caused by subsidized HIV medicines alone caused tens of millions of euros in their area of ​​responsibility. According to the prosecution, the pharmaceutical wholesalers are supposed to have bought subsidized HIV preparations in South Africa and illegally imported them as loose tablets - in boxes and sacks without packaging or leaflets - via Switzerland and Belgium to Germany and resell them with new packaging at normal prices. A million in profits for the fraudsters, a slap in the face for all the needy in South Africa and for the pharmaceutical manufacturers who were reluctant from the beginning to persuade themselves to the subsidized delivery of the drugs. In addition to the prosecutors Trier, Flensburg and Lübeck and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) is involved in the investigation. If convicted, the accused may face up to 10 years in prison for fraud.

Financial and health damage from HIV medication fraud
In addition to the experts such as Professor Gerd Glaeske from the Center for Social Policy - Health Economics, Health Policy and Health Services Research - the University of Bremen also criticized representatives of politics the alleged fraud massive. Because the damage is not limited to the millions of dollars that have disappeared in the pockets of pharmaceutical wholesalers, but the needy patients in South Africa are missing the much needed HIV drugs. „Not only are wholesalers enriched with criminal energy here, but also people are harmed who are deprived of these medicines,“ emphasized Gerd Glaeske in conversation with "NDR info". The SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach was shocked by the audacity of the alleged fraudsters. „That's a particularly serious case. The drugs are missing in Third World countries, subsidies have been paid. Here, people are stealing drugs, they are then sold at a profit (...) unlawfully and the subsidy is also taken“, Lauterbach revolted.

Criminal organization in the background of millions of fraud?
The prosecutors can not say whether the pharmaceutical wholesalers have acted as a single offender or whether there may be links between the various drug traffickers accused. If in doubt, even a criminal organization behind the current million fraud with HIV drugs stuck, said the Lübeck Attorney General, Günter Möller. „It may be that there is a spider web and we are just sitting on the edge“, so the formulation of the Attorney General. The fraud was discovered as early as mid-2009, when a customer in a Delmenhorst pharmacy had bought an empty blister (visual packaging) and subsequently complained. The subsequent investigation by the Munich manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline showed that both the packaging, as well as the blister and leaflets were fake. GlaxoSmithKline had therefore recalled the batch of HIV medication for safety's sake. The manufacturer Boehringer-Ingelheim also took action and withdrew several batches of its HIV drug in 2009 and 2010 in a similar case.

Pharmaceutical wholesalers deny HIV drug fraud
How the process of the allegation of millions of fraud with HIV drugs will continue to develop is so far hardly foreseeable. The pharmaceutical wholesalers continue to be investigated for suspected fraud, trademark infringement and violation of the Medicines Act. At the moment, however, the accused, like a former Sylt pharmacy dealer, rejects all fraud allegations. The suspected businessman from Sylt stressed on Friday opposite the „German press agency“, his company („EWS Trading“) did not fake but acted properly. In addition, he was no longer active as a pharmaceutical wholesaler and „EWS Trading“ I have already returned the corresponding licenses. (Fp)

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Millions of fraud with HIV drugs

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