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A couple were arrested anew on suspicion of selling a counterfeit version of the hepatitis C drug Harvoni to a wholesaler.
The Metropolitan Police Department arrested Yoshimi Kase, 49, and her husband, Takayuki, 43, on suspicion of violating the pharmaceuticals and medical devices law.
The two, who had already been indicted for the use of illegal drugs, denied the fresh allegations and claimed their products were genuine, according to investigative sources.
The police suspect the couple sold two bottles of fake Harvoni tablets to a now-defunct drug wholesaler in Tokyo on Jan. 4, 2017, for about ¥1.6 million to ¥2 million — or 50 to 70 percent of the government-set price for the drug.
They are also charged with selling tablets of Sovaldi, also used to treat hepatitis C, to a wholesaler in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on two occasions without permission in 2016, making around ¥1 million.
Since January last year, 15 bottles of the counterfeit Harvoni tablets have been found at a wholesaler in Tokyo and a drug store in Nara Prefecture.