Man Sentenced Over £6m Unlicensed And Counterfeit Medicines Case

Main Category: Litigation / Medical Malpractice
Also Included In: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 09 Jun 2009 - 6:00 PDT

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Martin Simon Hickman, a 49-year-old unlicensed and counterfeit medicines dealer, was sentenced to two years imprisonment at the Southwark Crown Court after pleading guilty to six counts of selling and supplying fake and unlicensed medicines, and money laundering to the sum of £1.4m.

Hickman operated businesses including an illegal online pharmacy to sell unlicensed and counterfeit medicines for erectile dysfunction throughout the United Kingdom and abroad.

Records obtained during a raid on Hickman's property by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) enforcement officers revealed the businesses turned over in excess of £6m between 2003 and 2007.

MHRA Head of Enforcement, Mick Deats, said the man enjoyed a lavish lifestyle on the profits made by selling the unlicensed and fake drugs.

"People dealing in these types of businesses are criminals, but at the much higher end of the pay scale," he said. "Mr Hickman has substantially benefitted financially from this unlawful trade."

Hickman appeared to have little respect for his customers with a folder seized entitled 'Thick People File' containing orders for medicinal products that had not been processed due to insufficient customer detail.

"He is not a healthcare professional, in fact, he is not professional in any way shape or form. He is simply a money motivated criminal living a life of luxury at the expense of other people's health."

Notes

1. The MHRA is the government agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work, and are acceptably safe. No product is risk-free. Underpinning all our work lie robust and fact-based judgments to ensure that the benefits to patients and the public justify the risks. We keep watch over medicines and devices, and take any necessary action to protect the public promptly if there is a problem. We encourage everyone - the public and healthcare professionals as well as the industry - to tell us about any problems with a medicine or medical device, so that we can investigate and take any necessary action.

Source
MHRA