The 1,834 incidents occurring in CY 2008 involved 651 different pharmaceutical products. The number of products found in a single incident ranged from one drug to twenty-one different drugs. The number of therapeutic categories found in a single incident ranged from one to nine. PSI also found that pharmaceuticals in every therapeutic category are targeted by criminal organizations.
Mirroring earlier findings, CIS data revealed that medicines in the genito-urinary, anti-infectives and central nervous system therapeutic categories contained the largest number of incidents. These three categories were seen as having drugs which were the most frequently targeted by individuals engaged in pharmaceutical crimes. This finding remains consistent with CY 2007 therapeutic category rankings.
But, while the ranking of the top three therapeutic categories remained the same, the Institute has noted a number of therapeutic categories that have had a significant percentage increase on a year to year basis. Specifically, the cytostatics therapeutic category led with the largest percentage increase at forty-six percent (46%). Genito-urinary medications were second with an increase of thirty-three percent (33%) and hormone drugs increased by twenty-eight percent (28%).
