Counterfeit medicine

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Dear Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency,

Can you please tell me the following

1. The amount of counterfeit medicine seized each year for the past 5 years.

2. A breakdown of which law enforcement agencies seized counterfeit medicine each year and what amount each.

3. The top 5 medicines that are counterfeited

4. The number of times the MHRA has requested HMRC to accompany them on vists in the past 5 years

5. The number of times HMRC has refused to accompany the MHRA in the past 5 years.

6. The number of times that matters found on visits have been referreeld to other agencies such as police, immigration, Trading standards

Yours faithfully,

D Schofield

MHRA Customer Services, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

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MHRA Customer Services, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

 

 

Our Ref: FOI 21/483

       

Dear D Schofield

       

RE:  REQUEST UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000

        

Thank you for your enquiry which we received on 5^th May 2021.

  

I confirm that your request is now being handled under the Freedom of
Information Act and you should receive a reply within 20 working days from
our date of receipt. 

 

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Kind Regards,

 

 

MHRA Customer Service Centre

 

Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London E14 4PU

Telephone 0203 080 6000

 

 

 

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MHRA Customer Services, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

FOI 21/483

 

Dear D Schofiel,

 

Thank you for your communication to the MHRA in relation to a Freedom of
Information request for:

 

1. The amount of counterfeit medicine seized each year for the past 5
years.

 

2. A breakdown of which law enforcement agencies seized counterfeit
medicine each year and what amount each.

 

3. The top 5 medicines that are counterfeited

 

4. The number of times the MHRA has requested HMRC to accompany them on
vists in the past 5 years

 

5. The number of times HMRC has refused to accompany the MHRA in the past
5 years.

 

6. The number of times that matters found on visits have been referreeld
to other agencies such as police, immigration, Trading standards

 

Your enquiry relates to counterfeit medicine. To assist your enquiry, the
term "counterfeit" is defined in Intellectual Property legislation and
relates to brand / brand holder protection and economic interests, this is
distinct from MHRA’s remit to protect public health protection.

 

Human Medicines Regulations 2012 provide regulatory controls on medicines
for human use, including a requirement for a product to hold a Marketing
Authorisation to permit legal sale and supply. There is also a definition
of a “falsified” medicine and additional requirements to combat their
penetration into the supply chain.

 

 1. As explained above, MHRA does not seize medicines that breach
Intellectual Property Rights legislation. You may wish to refine your
question.

 

 2. MHRA does not hold this information.

 

 3. MHRA does not hold this information.

 

 4. Nil

 

 5. Nil

 

 6. MHRA does not keep specific regarding referrals to other agencies but
we work collaboratively with other regulators and law enforcement
agencies and relevant information may be shared if appropriate to do
so. Details of cases would be subject to exemption under Section 30 of
FOI.

 

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us at [1]IE&[email address]

 

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option please email: [2][MHRA request email]

 

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offices.

 

After that, if you remain dissatisfied, you may write to the Information
Commissioner at;

The Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

They will make a decision on whether or not we have interpreted the FOIA
correctly in handling your request.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

MHRA Customer Service Centre

 

Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London E14 4PU

 

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J Roberts left an annotation ()

Press release 20/7/22

'Medicines and medical devices valued at over £850,000, totalling more than 285,000 items, have been seized by officers from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as part of a global operation to tackle the illegal sale of medical products, with UK seizures estimated to be worth around 9 per cent of the global total.'

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/over-...