Drug heist could yield $43m
CAREFUL planning by three thieves carrying sledgehammers has enabled them to make off with pharmaceutical drugs that carry a potential street value of $43 million.
The drugs, 50 kilograms of pseudoephedrine and 67 kilograms of codeine, were stolen from an industrial unit in Kingsgrove in the early hours of Sunday.
Pseudoephedrine is used in clandestine labs to manufacture methamphetamine, most commonly known as speed or ice.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Australian Federal Police estimated a seizure of 12.5 kilograms of pseudoephedrine from Malaysia could be used to manufacture more than 200,000 doses of speed. The weekend’s theft was four times that amount. Police do not know how the balaclava-clad trio made their way into the Jalco Pharmaceuticals complex on Garema Circuit at 1am on Sunday. The brick building is surrounded by a tall fence with barbed wire and security cameras.
Once inside, the thieves cut the phone lines and tampered with the alarm. It allowed them to take almost two hours to smash their way through a concrete wall into the building’s strongroom.
The drugs were stored inside the room in 60-centimetre high cylinders that contained 25 kilograms of the substances in each.
The theft was reported to police at 3pm the same day, 12 hours after security footage shows the robbers leaving the building. Campsie Acting Inspector Michael Stewart said it was not a random robbery and the level of planning showed the thieves knew the drugs were inside.
Dr David Bright, from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre’s drug policy modelling program, said it was almost certain the motivation for the theft was to turn pseudoephedrine into methamphetamine.
Myoderm Increases Its Global Expansion In The European Pharmaceutical Market
Myoderm, a leading global supplier of commercial drugs for clinical research and clinical trials, today announced that they have been granted a Wholesale Dealer License from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). In addition, Myoderm has established a new partnership with a leading European Pharmaceutical logistics provider.
The license agreement granted by the MHRA enables Myoderm to buy, sell and distribute pharmaceuticals within the UK. Providing more direct access to drug manufacturers across Europe, the Wholesale Dealer License will facilitate Myoderm’s current supply capabilities and business objectives of commercial expansion and strategic positioning within the European Pharmaceutical Market.
“Acquiring our Wholesale Dealer License and partnering with a leading European, Pharmaceutical logistics provider is critical to our continued effort to enhance our worldwide supply capabilities,” says Mike Cohen, Myoderm’s Managing Director.
Along with the MHRA license agreement, Myoderm’s newest partnership will allow them to offer receiving, inspection, warehousing and distribution of pharmaceutical products. These services will allow Myoderm to have complete control over materials procured and distributed throughout Europe.
About Myoderm
With a proven track record of supply and distribution of pharmaceuticals to depots, clinical trial sites, sponsor companies and clinical packagers around the globe, Myoderm has evolved into a leader within the Clinical Trial Drug Supply industry for over 20 years. Myoderm is confident in its capabilities to continue to expand and strengthen its international relationships.
Hanover pharmaceutical packager TestPak merges, changes name
TestPak Inc., a pharmaceutical packaging and repackaging company based in Whippany, has merged with three other companies and changed its name, according to a news release from the company.
The new company, Aphena Pharma Solutions, will be headquartered in Cookeville, Tenn. William Armero, vice president and general manager of the Whippany operation, said about 105 people are employed in Whippany.
Armero said the merger makes Aphena the fourth largest pharmaceutical contract packaging company in the country. He said the Whippany operation is expanding and in the process of hiring packagers and package line operators.
TestPak had been a privately held company until September, when it was sold to PrePak Systems. The name of the company officially was changed Monday.
“We are excited to announce our new parent company, Aphena Pharma Solutions,” said Renard Jackson, president and chief executive officer of Aphena Pharma Solutions. “Now we can offer more products and even better customer service and efficiency.”
TestPak offers contract packaging and repackaging solutions for the pharmaceutical, over the counter, nutraceutical, animal health and consumer product markets. Among the products offered by the company are low and high volume bottle filling, blister packaging, custom pouching, compliance packaging, unit-dosing/unit-of-use packaging, kitting, and secondary packaging for solid dose products.
The other companies aligned under Aphena are Celeste Contact Packaging in Easton, Md., PrePak in Cookeville, Tenn., and Integrated Pharmaceutical Packaging, in Glasgow, Ky.
“Aphena Pharma Solutions will offer clients a complete range of products and services,” Jackson said. “And we will continue to remain focused on our client’s needs as we move forward with this transition.”