A number of pharma shipments heading from India to the US were carrying Kamagra, a Viagra alternative that is not approved by the FDA and illegal to sell in the US.

 

Findings: Publican Detected Illicit Substandard Medicines & A High Risk to Public Safety

The importers include Skitzo Kitty Lingerie Ltd. (NY) & Vishara Video Inc. (CA). These are US-based adult-themed stores that promote the sale of Kamagra online—a cheap Viagra alternative which contains harmful ingredients and isn’t roundly approved for import by the FDA (only in cases with a valid prescription from a licensed healthcare provider.)

 

 

One of the world’s biggest manufacturing exporters of medicines is India, who supply a large chunk of the world’s affordable “generic” drugs. In this case, on multiple occasions, India exported Kamagra to US importers.

 

 

How did Publican uncover this?

By leveraging millions of unique global data points, Publican was able to achieve deep visibility into the complex medical supply chain stretching from India to stores in the US—unearthing key insights into companies with a habitual pattern of importing illicit medicines, as well as the exact chain of stores where the good were being sold on American shores—concluding that the shipment was likely fraudulent and posed a high risk to public safety.

 

Impact

With the fundamental responsibility of customs to safeguard public health, Publican’s ability to provide visibility into the entire supply chain from manufacturing to retail sale and accurately flag multiple shipments containing illicit medications provides customs with a tangible new solution to the growing epidemic of substandard medicines.