Tag Archives: pharmaceuticals

CBP seizes 15,000+ Xanax pills destined for Texas.

August 7, 2020 By in FDA, pharmaceutical drugs Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment
Seized Xanax pills, source: CBP.gov

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Cincinnati seized a shipment of approximately 15,750 Xanax pills June 30th. The shipment was from Britain and opened for further examination due to x-ray anomalies as a result of a foil lined box. Upon opening the box, they found 63 bottles marked “Xanax XR 2mg”, if authentic, the Xanax pills would have totaled over $230,000.

As you are aware, Xanax is used for the treatment of anxiety and classified as a Schedule IV controlled substance and cannot be shipped to the US without a prescription from a physician. The shipment was addressed to a residence in Texas.

Author’s notes – usually there’s something to do for a seizure from Customs; however in situations where a schedule 4 controlled substance is shipped to an individual in a box meant to hide the contents from x-ray scanners and mailed without a physician’s prescription – there’s probably not much I can do to assist.

The lesson here is to not even take the risk to try and import drugs, especially controlled substances to the US. CBP may refer your case to Homeland Security Investigations and will likely also issue you a civil penalty.

Have you had your good seized? Contact David Hsu by phone/text at 832-896-6288 or email at attorney.dave@yahoo.com for a free consultation.

China reduces penalties for importation of unapproved drugs – improving access for its citizens.

September 8, 2019 By in Uncategorized Tags: , , , Leave a comment

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Photo by Kritesh Kaushik on Pexels.com

In late August, the Chinese government said they would reduce the penalties for the sale and import of unapproved drugs, thereby improving access to cheaper generic pharmaceuticals from other countries. This action was taken to allow greater affordable drugs for chronic diseases increasingly impacting the Chinese population.

The reduction in penalties is set to take effect on December 1st. Current penalties for people selling drugs that are not approved by the National Medical Products Administration could result in a fine and criminal prosecution with jail sentences up to 3 years.

For example, under the new law, cheaper generic drugs made outside of China could be imported and sold in China. One drug cited in the article was the Indian version of the lung-cancer drug Iressa cost $10 a day in 2016, compared with $100 a day for the patented drug in China. He said generic drugs cost, on average, 97 percent less than patented drugs sold in China.

If you want to be sure you are compliance with US FDA regulations, contact experienced compliance attorney David Hsu by phone or text at 832-896-6288 or by email at attorney.dave@yahoo.com, dh@gjatradelaw.com.