A foremost business woman specializing in women’s health problems was released on a $150,000 cash bond on Friday September 3rd after being arrested two days earlier and charged with importing and selling millions of doses of counterfeit drugs, including fake Viagra, and conspiring to sell prescription pain-killers, stimulants and tranquilizers.

Marla Ahlgrimm, owner of Women’s Health America, will face the charges, brought by a computer crimes and intellectual property prosecutor in Washington, on September 9 before the Brooklyn federal court.  Ahlgrimm is a leader in the field of hormone replacement therapy for women suffering from menstrual or menopausal problems. She has advised on boards, such as the UW Foundation and has been acclaimed for her achievements and contributions in the field of women’s health by several business groups having written two well-received books on this subject.

Co-defendant, Balbir Bhogal, will also face similar charges. They are accused of importing fake pills from India with the same markings as well-known prescription drugs and of supplying drugs to the owner of an online pharmacy who was not legally able to purchase the medication. The client was an FBI informant.

Consignments of the alleged counterfeit drugs s ent from India and intercepted by law enforcement officials. When tested pills were found to be lacking in the correct dosage of the active ingredients.

The availability of counterfeit drugs is of growing concern worldwide. There are a number of sources that can help advise on this issue of safety and provide information about the legitimacy of online pharmacies. Legitscript is one such leading source providing 'information for patients, Internet users, physicians, businesses and other third parties who need to know if an Internet pharmacy is acting in accordance with the law and accepted standards of ethics and safety.’ Legitscript is verified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. The website provides an online pharmacy legitimacy tool for checking the validity of pharmacy websites.

In a blog that appeared on Friday 3rd September Legitscript stated ‘The website, womenshealth.com, had not been a LegitScript-approved Internet pharmacy. The website is currently designated as unapproved/rogue in our database, based on the search warrant’s statements of probable cause related to the sale and distribution of counterfeit drugs.’

The Partnership for Safe Medicines website is a source providing interesting news and information surrounding the issue of counterfeit drugs.