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U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Baltimore field office say they’ve seized thousands of unapproved or counterfeit coronavirus medications and test kits, with some seizures including the drug Hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial drug once promoted by the president as a possible treatment to COVID-19.
In a news release, the agency said Monday that since March 23, officers at various ports in the mid-Atlantic have seized “more than 1,350 unapproved and counterfeit COVID-19 test kits" and “nearly 2,500 unapproved and potentially counterfeit medicines.”
According to the agency, Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate, more commonly known as just Hydroxychloroquine, was one of the drugs seized at the ports.
[After Trump touted drug for the coronavirus, Maryland warns of hoarding and ‘inappropriately’ prescribing] »
While health experts say there’s a lack of concrete evidence demonstrating the anti-malarial drug can treat or prevent COVID-19, President Trump urged Americans to take it during a news conference last month, asking “What do you have to lose?”
Officers at ports in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh seized “nearly 400 counterfeit N95 respirator masks” and “more than 67,000 counterfeit ACCU-CHEK test strips," according to a release.
The agency said the products “are not on the current Emergency Use Authorization List nor are the manufacturers on the list of firms who have provided compliance notification to the FDA.”
The agency wrote that the packages were sent from addresses from a number of different countries, ranging from Germany to Saudi Arabia.
The agency did not detail how the packages were seized nor when, adding that “CBP is withholding specific details of individual seizures as many cases remain under investigation.”
“Panic-stricken consumers and predatory scammers continue to purchase coronavirus protective and diagnostic equipment, and pharmaceuticals from the overseas marketplace that are either counterfeit or unapproved for use in the United States, and that pose a potentially serious health concern for American consumers,” said Ronald Stanley, CBP’s Acting Director of Field Operations in Baltimore.
While some of the alleged products came through the Port of Baltimore, the agency wrote that the items “were destined to addresses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, Connecticut, and Florida.”
ACCU-CHEK, owned by Roche Diabetes Care inc., makes diabetes test kits and strips for patients to check their blood glucose levels at home. While the company warned that the pandemic could lead to a surge in demand for the product, Senior Vice President Matt Jewett wrote in a news release that the company’s test strips “are available online with free home delivery."
https://accu-chek.com/
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BALTIMORE, Md. (WBFF) -– The U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Ports of Entry across the Baltimore Field Office continue to seize shipments of counterfeit and unapproved coronavirus personal protective equipment and pharmaceuticals.
While inspecting international express delivery parcels Tuesday, CBP officers at the Port of Harrisburg, Pa., seized a shipment of 1,200 Linhua Qingwen capsules that arrived from Hong Kong. Linhua Qingwen capsules are being used to treat some COVID-19 patients, but their effectiveness is unknown and they remain an unapproved medicine for use in the United States. The parcel was destined to an address in Union County, Pa.
Since March 23, CBP officers at the Area Ports of Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, and the Ports of Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, in consultation with U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspectors, completed 18 seizures that collectively included:
more than 1,350 unapproved and counterfeit COVID-19 test kits;
nearly 400 counterfeit N95 respirator masks;
nearly 2,500 unapproved and potentially counterfeit medicines, including Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate, Chloroquine, Azithromycin, Lianhua Qingwen and Liushen Jiaonang; and
more than 67,000 counterfeit ACCU-CHEK test strips.
CBP is withholding specific details of individual seizures as many cases remain under investigation.
Officials say these products were shipped from manufacturers and distributors in China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Senegal, Germany and the United Kingdom and were destined to addresses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, Connecticut, and Florida.
The products are not on the current Emergency Use Authorization List nor are the manufacturers on the list of firms who have provided compliance notification to the FDA.
“Panic-stricken consumers and predatory scammers continue to purchase coronavirus protective and diagnostic equipment, and pharmaceuticals from the overseas marketplace that are either counterfeit or unapproved for use in the United States, and that pose a potentially serious health concern for American consumers,” said Ronald Stanley, CBP’s Acting Director of Field Operations in Baltimore. “Customs and Border Protection will continue to work with our partners at the Food and Drug Administration to identify and seize these potentially hazardous medical products before they could harm American consumers.”
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US Customs seize shipments of counterfeit PPE, unapproved COVID-19 drugs
Rick Massimo
May 11, 2020, 1:20 PM
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection have been seizing shipments of counterfeit personal protective equipment and unapproved substances said to be medications for COVID-19 in the area.
The Baltimore Field Office of the CBP said in a statement Monday that last week they seized a shipment of 1,200 Linhua Qingwen capsules — their effectiveness against COVID-19 is unknown, the agency said, and they are still unapproved for use in the U.S. The parcel had been shipped from Hong Kong and was headed for an address in Union County, Pennsylvania.
That’s hardly the only case. Since March 23, CBP officers have seized 18 shipments at the Area Ports of Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, and the Ports of Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.
These shipments combined have included:
More than 1,350 unapproved and counterfeit COVID-19 test kits
Nearly 400 counterfeit N95 respirator masks
Nearly 2,500 unapproved and potentially counterfeit medicines, including Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate, Chloroquine, Azithromycin, Linhua Qingwen and Liushen Jiaonang
More than 67,000 counterfeit ACCU-CHEK test strips.
The shipments came from China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Senegal, Germany and the U.K., and were headed to addresses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, Connecticut and Florida, the agency said.
“Panic-stricken consumers and predatory scammers continue to purchase coronavirus protective and diagnostic equipment, and pharmaceuticals from the overseas marketplace that are either counterfeit or unapproved for use in the United States, and that pose a potentially serious health concern for American consumers,” Ronald Stanley, CBP’s acting director of field operations in Baltimore, said in the statement.