According to SecuringPharma.com, the "only dedicated and centralised source of breaking news, market intelligence and technical information to help pharmaceutical manufacturers enhance the security of their supply chain," Pfizer lost a truckload of generic drugs to hijackers as they made their way from Memphis to a Rhode Island CVS (CVS) facility.

An alert by the Pharmaceutical Cargo Security Consortium says "around 13,000 packs of assorted generic medicines in 392 cases were seized in the robbery with a value of around $66,000," including "cholesterol-lowering colestipol tablets, eplerenone tablets for heart failure, the antibiotics azithromycin and clindamycin in oral and topical formulations, sulfasalazine for inflammatory bowel disease and arthritis, quinapril for high blood pressure and the antidepressant sertraline."

SecuringPharma notes that the Pfizer theft "is small by value - well below the average $5m per pharmaceutical load theft estimated by Freightwatch International - but provides further evidence that drug shipments are being targeted by criminal gangs who subsequently try to re-introduce them into the supply chain."

We've explored organized pharma theft in the past -- which, for thieves, can be far more lucrative than good, old-fashioned bank robbery.

When the legendary Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks, he answered, “Because that’s where the money is.â€