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The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is doubling down on its efforts to combat online pharmacy frauds, emphasising innovation, eradication of legacy systems, and cybersecurity in its updated technology roadmap. The online sale of medicines and medical devices is a "growing phenomenon offering convenience, anonymity, and lower prices " for the public. However the lack of robust cyber monitoring also "poses significant risks", as many online pharmacies are "unregulated, illegal, or fraudulent." According to the MHRA's recent report highlighting the impact of artificial intelligence on the regulation of medical products, the strategic themes of "fundamental to the successful deployment of AI" are essential for protecting consumers from fraudulent medical products.

A Nottingham-based pharmacist has been struck off the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) register for bringing "the profession into to disrepute" by stealing hundreds of thousands of pounds in a bid to settle his gambling debt. Peter Sameh Saad (33) spun a web of lies and duped a friend out of more than half a million pounds to fund his addiction and pretended he had "serious if not terminal" testicular cancer. "It is difficult to imagine a more heinous fraud than one predicated on feigning a cancer diagnosis", a GPC panel ruled. Saad committed three frauds on a total of £536,689.95 between September 2018 and May 2019. First, he tricked a friend, whom he knew through his local church, into sending him around £288,200 by claiming that his newly-purchased pharmacy in US was "seized" by the authorities over visa issues and that he "had some difficulty making the mortgage payments". Later Saad conned the same friend, named only as 'Person A' in court documents, into sending him a total of £127,150 by lying about a non-existent cancer diagnosis and private treatment. Finally, he extracted a further £121,339.95 from an investments and credit group (named Company A) of which his friend was chief executive after inviting him to set up a 'pharmaceutical warehouse', a plan that "impressed Person A and he agreed to invest in the business."

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Fitness to Practise Committee decided to remove a pharmacist from the GPhC Register at a 'remote videolink' hearing held on 13 - 14 April. "The decision will not take effect until 12 May 2023 or, if an appeal is lodged, once that appeal has been concluded," the committee said. Kapil Ramesh Rabadia, a pharmacist first registered on 25 July 2011 with GPhC under registration number 2075823 was convicted of 'fraud by abuse of position' and 'being concerned in supplying controlled drugs' following a guilty plea on 13 September 2021. He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for the fraud by abuse of position and six months in respect of supplying a 3 Class B drug. However, the interim suspension set out in the decision takes effect immediately and will lapse when the removal decision takes effect or once any appeal is concluded. Between May 2018 and June 2019, Kapil ordered codeine linctus and Phenergan in excess of 100 bottles of each for four men who threatened him with knives and guns. The men told the pharmacist that he needed to continue to make the supplies or "there would be consequences" for him and his family.

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With a growing number of frauds, the importance of medical credentialing services has strengthened. The need to stay updated with operational capability while ensuring the hands of the caregiver being safe is what this process strives for!