November 2025 brought a wave of enforcement actions, policy warnings, and worrying new cases involving fake medicines, weight-loss injectables, alcohol, and health products. Below is a summary of key developments, with links to the original coverage for deeper reading.
1. Major Prosecutions and Enforcement Actions in North America
- In the United States, the long‑running Safe Chain HIV drug diversion case reached a milestone. The owners of pharmaceutical distributor Safe Chain Solutions were convicted in federal court for distributing diverted and counterfeit HIV medicines, including Gilead products that in some cases contained the wrong drugs entirely. Coverage: https://www.securingindustry.com/pharmaceuticals/drug-distributor-owners-convicted-in-fake-meds-case/s40/a17296/ and a detailed overview from the Partnership for Safe Medicines: https://www.safemedicines.org/2025/11/nov-3-2025.html
- The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reported the sentencing of John Cruz, a New York man who sold counterfeit Xanax on the dark web. He received 54 months in prison after admitting to buying fake pills online and reselling them over several years, even continuing after his first guilty plea. Press release: https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2025/11/18/new-york-man-sentenced-54-months-prison-for-selling-counterfeit-xanax
- Partnership for Safe Medicines’ November 10 briefing highlighted U.S. enforcement against unapproved cosmetic injectables and counterfeit GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs, including an Iowa pharmacy that settled charges for selling 15 cases of counterfeit Ozempic. Roundup: https://www.safemedicines.org/2025/11/nov-10-2025.html
- In Canada, Health Canada issued warnings after suspected fake Viagra was found at a Toronto convenience store, as reported by CP24. Story: https://www.cp24.com/local/toronto/2025/11/18/fake-viagra-sold-at-toronto-convenience-store-health-canada/
2. The Counterfeit GLP‑1 and Weight‑Loss Drug Crisis
- ITV News investigated the black market for so‑called “skinny jabs,” revealing that fake weight‑loss injections made in China are being smuggled into the UK and sold in counterfeit Mounjaro‑branded packaging. The report linked these products to patient hospitalisations and warned that they bypass all regulatory oversight. Report: https://www.itv.com/news/2025-11-05/more-dangerous-than-heroin-fake-skinny-jabs-smuggled-into-the-uk
- In Forbes, Steve Forbes’ column described a broader “Fauxzempic” crisis, arguing that counterfeit GLP‑1 injectables threaten both patient safety and financial markets by eroding trust in legitimate therapies. Column: https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes/2025/11/10/the-fauxzempic-crisis-counterfeit-innovation-puts-lives-and-markets-at-risk/
- Ahead of Black Friday, reporting in the Daily Mail warned about online discounts on weight‑loss jabs that may actually be counterfeit products marketed to cost‑conscious consumers. Article: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-15324027/Black-Friday-weight-loss-jab-discounts-drug-counterfeit-online.html
3. Africa: Intensifying Action Against Fake Drugs
- In Nigeria, the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation used new research to call for urgent, ‘whole‑of‑society’ action against counterfeit medicines and illicit alcohol, warning that this “death industry” undermines communities and the health system. Feature: https://www.financialnigeria.com/foundation-calls-for-urgent-actions-to-tackle-fake-drugs-and-alcohol-feature-605.html
- Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) continued its aggressive stance on fake medicines. Vanguard reported on the agency’s intensified war on counterfeit drugs, while The Nation covered the destruction in Ibadan of counterfeit and substandard pharmaceutical products valued at around N20 billion. Articles: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/11/nafdac-intensifies-war-against-fake-drugs/ and https://thenationonlineng.net/nafdac-destroys-n20bn-worth-of-fake-substandard-drugs-in-ibadan/
- In Kenya, People Daily reported that the country struck a deal aimed at eliminating fake medicines, signalling closer cooperation with international partners and stronger supply‑chain controls. Story: https://peopledaily.digital/news/kenya-strikes-a-deal-to-help-in-eliminating-fake-medicines
4. South Asia and the Middle East: Rackets, Raids, and Policy Debates
- In India, authorities in Kerala dismantled a major counterfeit‑medicine racket involving roughly 400 kg of fake medicines and 14 arrests, according to Medical Dialogues. Report: https://medicaldialogues.in/news/industry/pharma/kerala-busts-fake-drug-racket-400-kg-counterfeit-medicines-seized-14-arrested-158484
- Separate reporting from Pharmabiz described raids that exposed fake and poor‑quality medicines being sold through discount pharmacies in Kerala, underscoring ongoing vulnerabilities in the retail channel. Article: https://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=182602&sid=1
- In Rajasthan, Indian media reported on a fake‑medicine racket tied to a banned Himachal Pradesh company that allegedly continued secret production until state drug teams intervened. Coverage: https://www.bhaskarenglish.in/amp/local/rajasthan/jaipur/news/fake-medicine-racket-exposed-banned-himachal-company-secret-production-continued-rajasthan-drug-teams-seized-136464672.html
- Digital Health News covered India’s push to expand QR codes on medicine packs, noting that the system has already been compromised within months of launch and raising concerns over security gaps and implementation. Analysis: https://www.digitalhealthnews.com/india-s-drug-qr-code-expansion-plan-draws-criticism-over-security-gaps
- In Kuwait, the Times Kuwait relayed a warning from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime about expanding global crime networks. The campaign highlights counterfeit medicines as one of several illicit trades fuelled by opaque financial flows, urging governments to “track the money” as a way to dismantle these networks. Story: https://timeskuwait.com/un-warns-of-expanding-global-crime-networks-urges-nations-to-track-down-flow-of-money/
- In Istanbul, Turkish authorities seized 150,000 synthetic drug pills and more than a thousand boxes of illegal cancer medicine in an operation targeting so‑called “poison traffickers,” as reported by Haberler. Article: https://en.haberler.com/drug-and-counterfeit-medicine-operation-in-19296769/
5. Europe: Online Risks and Local Warnings
- In the UK, local police in Worcestershire warned residents about a rise in unregulated online prescription drug sales, urging people to “think before you click” and highlighting the danger of medicines bought from social media or non‑pharmacy websites. Coverage: https://worcesterobserver.co.uk/news/think-before-you-click-police-warn-unregulated-prescription-drugs-on-the-rise-in-worcestershire-59146/
- ITV’s skinny‑jab investigation (see above) was complemented by Daily Mail reporting on bargain online weight‑loss injections around Black Friday, reinforcing the message that counterfeit jabs are being marketed aggressively to UK consumers. Article: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-15324027/Black-Friday-weight-loss-jab-discounts-drug-counterfeit-online.html
6. Consumer Products, Supplements, and Market Responses
- In South Korea, Maeil Business Newspaper (MK) asked what happens when the nutritional supplements people buy for their health turn out to be fake. The piece describes fake vitamins still circulating online and even AI‑generated ads using “fake doctors and pharmacists,” highlighting regulatory gaps and the need for more informed consumers. Article: https://www.mk.co.kr/en/it/11478468
- A report from Worldwide Market Reports, carried by OpenPR, projected significant growth in the global anti‑counterfeit packaging market from 2025 to 2032, driven by demand for brand protection, supply‑chain integrity, and consumer safety across sectors from pharmaceuticals to food and electronics. Release: https://www.openpr.com/news/4255562/rising-trends-of-anti-counterfeit-packaging-market-set
7. Opinion and Commentary: Vulnerable Patients and Copycat Drugs
- Opinion pieces this month stressed the human impact of illicit products. A PennLive commentary warned that unregulated copycat drugs are exploiting Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable residents, while another column argued that counterfeit innovation in GLP‑1 injectables (“Fauxzempic”) is putting both patients and markets at risk. Articles: https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2025/11/unregulated-copycat-drugs-exploit-pennsylvanias-most-vulnerable-opinion.html and https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes/2025/11/10/the-fauxzempic-crisis-counterfeit-innovation-puts-lives-and-markets-at-risk/
8. Additional Enforcement Actions and Local Alerts
- Local stories rounded out the month: the U.S. Safe Medicines updates from November 3 and 10 detail multiple pill‑press seizures and regulatory actions; Nigerian outlets like Vanguard and The Nation tracked continued NAFDAC crackdowns; and various law‑enforcement operations across India and Turkey demonstrated that counterfeit medicines remain a truly global challenge.
Key links: https://www.safemedicines.org/2025/11/nov-3-2025.html, https://www.safemedicines.org/2025/11/nov-10-2025.html, https://medicaldialogues.in/news/industry/pharma/kerala-busts-fake-drug-racket-400-kg-counterfeit-medicines-seized-14-arrested-158484, https://en.haberler.com/drug-and-counterfeit-medicine-operation-in-19296769/.
Taken together, November’s stories show a clear pattern: enforcement is ramping up, but counterfeit medicines, weight‑loss jabs, alcohol, and supplements continue to evolve and exploit gaps in regulation, technology, and public awareness. Governments, manufacturers, technology partners, and patients will all need to stay vigilant and keep pushing for solutions that can protect people without adding friction to access or care.