Isn't it great to see such interprofessional cooperation

Defendants in one of the biggest alleged pharmaceutical counterfeiting rings in UK legal history are to face trial next week.

Nine men will appear at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court on Monday to face charges of involvement in an international drug counterfeiting operation.

The case dates back to 2003 and 2004, when allegedly counterfeit batches of Pfizer’s Viagra and Eli Lilly’s Cialis, drugs used to treat impotence, were discovered in the British supply chain. This triggered an investigation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The accused are:

Gary Haywood, 58, from Alicante, Spain;

Georgio Patino, 46, a physician from Guadalajara, Mexico;

Nayna Ashish Halai, 31, a pharmacist from Elstree, Hertfordshire;

Ashwin Patel, 24, a university graduate from Kensal Rise, West London;

Alpesh Patel, 29, a pharmaceutical sales representative from Kingsbury,

West London; Zahid Mirza, 46, a businessman from Ilford, Essex;

Ketan Kishore Mehta, 54, of Grove Park, southeast London;

Rajendka Shah, 47, a pharmacist from St Albans, Hertfordshire;

and Ashish Halai, 32, a pharmacist from Elstree, Hertfordshire.

The nine men are facing a number of charges under the Medicines Act 1968, including conspiracy to distribute fake trademarked medical products.

The trial is expected to last for eight weeks. The men have denied the charges.

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