Seen and heard: counterfeiting news in brief

Illicit drugs and tobacco in Pakistan; fake glucose strips, mobile food labs in India and Irish fake alcohol seizures.

Pakistan and USP set up post-market surveillance system for drugs

The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has unveiled plans to set up a post-marketing surveillance system for drugs with the assistance of the US Pharmacopeial Convention's Promoting the Quality of Medicines (PQM) programme, says Pakistan Today. The DRAP said the system will need the involvement of regulators, pharmaceutical companies, medical professionals, doctors, pharmacists and nurses if it is to be effective in fighting falsified and substandard medicines.

J&J wins permanent injunction against glucose strip copiers

The US District Court for the Eastern District of New York granted J&J subsidiary LifeScan a permanent injunction against several companies that sell "potentially deadly" versions of its OneTouch glucose strips, used by diabetics to monitor blood sugar levels. The latest round in the long-running legal dispute, which dates back to 2015, focuses on Chinese companies that have been selling the test strips "throughout the US and abroad," according to Life Sciences IP Review.

India looks to mobile labs to secure food safety

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has set up the first nine of an expected fleet of 62 mobile labs intended for food testing, public education and awareness building, according to an article in HospitalityBizIndia.com. The labs are equipped with a fully functional laboratory with the ability to conduct quick qualitative testing for detection of adulterants and other food safety issues, with an emphasis on milk, edible oil, spices and other condiments prone to food fraud.

Pakistan's FBR seizes biggest-ever illicit tobacco shipment

Pakistan officials have seized one of the largest consignments of illegal cigarettes ever smuggled into the provincial capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), according to the Daily Pakistan website. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) said officers seized more than 1,000 cartons and 10 million sticks of illegal cigarettes, which have been destroyed. The article notes that Pakistan loses more than Rs24bn (around $227m) a year because of illegal tobacco trade.

Counterfeit alcohol seized in Ireland

More than 500 litres of counterfeit alcohol worth an estimated €6,800 - some concealed in a shipment of soft drinks and snacks - have been seized by customs officers in Cork and Dublin, reports the Irish Times. 530 litres were uncovered in Dublin, and 18 litres in Cork, according to the newspaper. One man in his 30s has been arrested in connection with the smuggled counterfeits.