Counterfeiters can get life in jail under new US Act

US President George W Bush has signed a bill under which counterfeiters can be sentenced to life imprisonment if their crime causes the death of an individual.


The passing of the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2007 (PRO IP) strengthens the US court’s power to punish those convicted of counterfeiting; a measure big pharma has been calling for.

By increasing its maximum penalty the US has brought its punishment more closely into line with China, which sentenced a man to life in prison for causing 14 deaths by using a fake ingredient in human immunoglobulin.

The sentence for inflicting serious bodily harm as a result of counterfeit products has also been increased and can now result in up to 20 years in jail. Both sentences can also carry a fine.

In addition to increasing the punishments for trafficking counterfeit goods the new legislation also ramps up US preventative powers.

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China Shuts Down Leukemia Drug Maker

perhaps the Chinese understand that they need to make serious progress on this issue...

SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- China's food and drug safety agency has revoked the license of a company responsible for making tainted leukemia drugs blamed for causing leg pains and partial paralysis among dozens of patients.

State-owned Shanghai Hualian Pharmaceutical Co., a unit of China's biggest drug maker Shanghai Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., will also be fined the highest amount allowed under law and profits from the sale of the contaminated drugs will be confiscated, the State Food and Drug Administration said in a statement on its Web site seen Thursday.

Some Shanghai Hualian executives were detained by police on suspicion they deliberately withheld information about violations of production standards during the investigation, the SFDA's statement said.

A report in the state-run newspaper Shanghai Daily said the maximum fine for a breach of regulations was only $4,000.

Shanghai city government officials said they were cooperating with the SFDA in resolving the case.

Calls to Shanghai Pharmaceutical rang unanswered Thursday morning. Calls to numbers listed for Shanghai Hualian Pharmaceutical were answered with a "this number does not exist" recording.

The investigation into Shanghai Hualian Pharmaceutical was one of a slew of cases involving contaminated or bogus drugs and foods that have prompted tighter enforcement of safety regulations

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