Gillespie appeal bid rejected by UK High Court

The UK High Court has thrown out an appeal by Peter Gillespie, who was sentenced to eight years in jail earlier this year for his part in the infiltration of more than two million counterfeit doses of life-saving medicines into the UK supply chain.

65-year-old Gillespie masterminded what the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has described as "the most serious known breach of the UK-regulated supply chain of medicines."

Over a five-month period in 2007, fake copies of three AstraZeneca drugs - prostate cancer treatment Casodex (bicalutamide), Zyprexa (olanzapine) for schizophrenia and cardiovascular treatment Plavix (clopidogrel) - were inveigled into wholesalers and pharmacies, with around 900,000 doses actually reach patients' hands.

Gillespie's appeal was overturned by three Appeal Court Judges, who decided that his eight-year sentence was adequate given the serious nature of the offence.