UK trial for three accused of Seretide counterfeiting underway

The trial of three UK men accused of selling counterfeit versions of GlaxoSmithKline's asthma inhaler Seretide has got underway at Harrow Crown Court and is due to conclude later this week.

Anand Mehta, Premal Gandesha and Sandeep Gohil - all resident in North London - stand accused of importing, possessing and distributing the counterfeit Seretide Evohaler (salmeterol xinafoate 25mcg and fluticasone propionate 250mcg) products via their Blueridge UK company, a pharmaceutical supplier based in West Drayton, London.

The presence of counterfeits on the UK market prompted a major recall of the Seretide 250 Evohaler - branded as an Allen and Hanburys product - from pharmacy and wholesaler shelves back in 2009 (see UK recalls GSK inhalers on counterfeit concerns).

At the time, the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said analytical testing of counterfeits found on the market indicated that some parts of the fake product were genuine.

The gas and canisters in the inhalers were genuine, but the actuators on the device were fake, and on testing were found to jam after 30 to 40 uses. Typically a genuine Seretide Evohaler would deliver more than 120 doses of the asthma medicine.

The prosecutor in the case, Dominic Connolly, told the court that Blueridge imported the inhalers without a license, according to a report in local newspaper the Uxbridge Gazette.

The shipment was brought to the attention of the MHRA thanks to the vigilance of customs officers in Antwerp, Belgium, who processed it on entry to the EU and recorded it as suspicious. The country of origin of the inhalers is reported to be Pakistan.