A Canadian who helped create the cross-border online pharmacy industry has been sentenced to four years in a U.S. prison for his involvement in a scheme to defraud American customers. Andrew Strempler received the sentence on Wednesday, and was also ordered to pay a forfeiture of $300,000 US and a $25,000 fine, the U.S. Justice Department said in a release. A restitution hearing has been slated for Feb. 26. Strempler pleaded guilty in October to conspiracy to commit mail fraud in connection with his role as owner and president of Mediplan Health Consulting Inc., a Canadian company, which also operated under the name RxNorth.com. RxNorth was an online, mail- and telephone-order pharmacy, through which Strempler and others marketed and sold prescription drugs to U.S. residents. Strempler, who was originally from Manitoba, was one of the first entrepreneurs in the cross-border online pharmacy industry. He was arrested in Florida in June. The charges against him relate to a 2005 seizure of prescription drugs shipped by Mediplan. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration claimed that many of the drugs, which were promoted as Canadian, actually came from other countries. In a release, U.S. justice officials say Strempler obtained the medications from various … Continue reading →

January 9, 2013 Updated Jan 9, 2013 at 6:20 PM PST Business continued as usual at the Almond Avenue Pharmacy in Madera. Its something owner Bryan Lee never would have imagined, Tuesday night. At around 6:30 p.m., two men in ski masks barged into his pharmacy on Almond Avenue. He says they made their way through the back door. It was not a robbery so much as it was an execution. It was an attempted assassination. They didn't make any demands. They simply came in, went over here, I mean they were basically trying to shoot us in the back of the head, explained Lee. His mother, Sophie, was shot in the leg. He said it all happened so fast. He explained, I ducked down behind the counter and he kept firing and I was afraid they were going to kill both of us. That's when Lee said he grabbed his gun and shot back. Police say Lee hit the shooter, 31-year-old Aquilla Bailey in the face, torso and leg, killing him. Police say Bailey is a gang member from Fresno. The second man, who wasn't armed, was able to get away. Police are still trying to find a motive, … Continue reading →

PLANO, TX--(Marketwire - Jan 10, 2013) - The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) is pleased to announce that it has moved the PBMI annual conference venue to Las Vegas, Nevada.The 18th Annual Drug Benefit Conference will be held at the MGM Grand Hotel February 18-20, 2013.Conference attendees will learn about best practices and strategies to help manage the traditional and specialty drug benefit. This year the conference features an opening keynote from an award-winning author, a Specialty 101 Pre-Conference Workshop, and 21 presentations (includes 15 breakout sessions) presented by industry experts. "Recognizing that specialty drug benefits raise a new different set of challenges and complexities, at last year's conference, we introduced a full three-day Specialty program option that was very well received by attendees.This year we have implemented two Specialty program tracks in addition to a Traditional Pharmacy program for attendees to follow," said Brenda Motheral, Executive Director, PBMI."We have expanded our agenda to also include a Specialty 101 Pre-Conference Workshop that will offer the opportunity for attendees to master the fundamentals of specialty drug management." Conference Highlights Include: For Conference details view the Conference Program.To learn more about the conference, contact Linda DeChant, Sales Director at ldechant@pbmi.com or visit … Continue reading →

WINNIPEG - A pioneer of the Canadian Internet pharmacy industry has been sentenced to four years in prison by a Miami court. The U.S. Justice Department says Andrew Strempler was sentenced "for his role in a scheme to defraud consumers purchasing pharmaceuticals online." The department also says Strempler was ordered to pay a forfeiture of $300,000 and a fine of $25,000 and that a restitution hearing has been set for Feb. 26. Prosecutors had originally sought up to 20 years in prison and the forfeiture of $95 million in alleged proceeds from his business. Strempler pleaded guilty in October 2012 of conspiracy to commit mail fraud as owner of RxNorth.com, based in Minnedosa, Manitoba. RxNorth.com was an Internet, mail and telephone order pharmacy, through which prescription drugs were sold to American consumers between 2005 and mid-2006. "Internet websites that illegally sell potentially substandard, counterfeit or otherwise unsafe pharmaceuticals, pose a real threat to consumers," said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart Delery. "The sentence handed down today serves as an effective deterrent to those who would peddle counterfeit pharmaceuticals particularly those drugs trafficked over the Internet." The U.S. Justice Department says the Food and Drug Administration wrote to Strempler as early … Continue reading →