COUNTERFEITS
Mexico seizes suspicious Keytruda in raid to dismantle counterfeit medication ring
After ICIJ’s Cancer Calculus investigation exposed a market for falsified Keytruda, two sources confirmed Friday that Mexican authorities found vials labeled as the anti-cancer drug in the raid.
Federal authorities in Mexico seized vials labeled as Keytruda, the world’s best-selling drug, during an operation to dismantle a counterfeit ring in a suburb outside of the capital city, sources told the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Friday. This is the second operation where vials of the cancer medication were found, seized and led to arrests.
In a joint operation in March, Mexico’s security ministry, Secretariat of the Navy (known as SEMAR) and the Attorney General’s office seized 15,000 doses of clonazepam, more than 100 counterfeit vaccines and 1,000 vaccine labels, believed to be used to produce falsified medication, according to an April press release. They also found guns, cocaine and five vials of Keytruda, two sources with direct knowledge of the raid told ICIJ. Merck, the maker of the drug, could not confirm whether the vials were real or counterfeit.
Keytruda, known generically as pembrolizumab, has been a game changer in cancer treatment — with a price to match. ICIJ’s Cancer Calculus investigation, published in April, revealed how the high cost of the drug has fueled demand for counterfeits.
The investigation, which brought together reporters in 37 countries, exposed the inner workings of a system that protects pharmaceutical pricing monopolies and prioritizes profit over access. Keytruda is produced by the pharmaceutical company Merck and Co., known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada.
In Mexico, reporters from Quinto Elemento Lab, El País, El Sol de México and Univision found that falsified vials of the cancer drug were supplied to public hospitals through medication distributors that, at times, do not comply with national health standards. One patient died while being infused with fake Keytruda, Merck confirmed as part of ICIJ’s previous reporting. Another patient, whose case was documented by Univision, claimed to suffer painful side effects after being administered falsified Keytruda twice in a public hospital in Mérida, the largest city in the state of Yucatán.
Only Merck can confirm if vials are authentic or counterfeit, since the patented formula is known only to the company. The five vials seized in the March raid remain in the custody of authorities and have not yet been provided to MSD for analysis, Anthony Zook, associate vice president for MSD Global Security, said in a statement to ICIJ.
“Therefore, we are not in a position to confirm their authenticity or whether they are genuine or falsified,” Zook said. “We continue to closely monitor the situation and stand ready to support the authorities should our technical expertise be requested.”
Two people, a man and a woman, were arrested during the March raid in the town of Huixquilucan, 59 miles west of Mexico City, according to the press release.
“The institutions that make up the Security Cabinet reaffirm their commitment to working in a coordinated manner to dismantle criminal networks dedicated to the sale of counterfeit medications, as well as to prevent the distribution of products that pose a direct risk to public health,” the press release reads.
Mexican authorities have now conducted two operations that have resulted in the arrest of individuals caught with Keytruda. In 2024, an operation in the state of Guadalajara led to the arrest of “El Tacho,” a man accused of selling counterfeit Keytruda and other drugs.
During the raid on his property, Mexico’s navy found 12,500 doses of counterfeit medications, including Keytruda, according to reporting by ICIJ partner El Sol de México. Officials estimated the drugs had a market value of more than 110 million pesos, or around $5.7 million. “El Tacho” is currently in custody while the investigation is ongoing.