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Partnership for Safe Medicines Says New Book Reveals How Counterfeit Drugs Enter and Compromise America's Drug Supply

Posted on: Monday, 9 May 2005, 12:00 CDT

WASHINGTON, May 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The Partnership for Safe Medicines, a coalition of patient, physician, pharmacist, university, industry and professional organizations, today said the new book Dangerous Doses is a wake up call for America on the growing consumer threat of counterfeit drugs. Partnership drug safety experts said governments, regulators and industry must take steps across the drug supply chain to halt the fake medicines trade, including harsher penalties for counterfeiters, stricter licensing standards, stronger enforcement and the use of new technologies.

Partnership members have found that pharmaceutical counterfeiters often target products linked to public health threats like the flu, lifestyle drugs not covered by insurance and specialized-treatment drugs like those for HIV- AIDS and anemia.

"Drug counterfeiting is a serious offense against public health and should be treated with the same vigilance and penalties as other such threats," said Partnership advisor Bryan Liang, MD, PhD, JD who is executive director of the Institute of Health Law Studies at California Western School of Law and Co- Director, San Diego Center for Patient Safety at UCSD School of Medicine. "Dangerous Doses opens our eyes to how criminals exploit the pharmaceutical supply chain to profit at a vulnerable patient's expense. This has to stop."

"There is no 'silver bullet' against drug counterfeiting," Liang added. "New technologies and data standards need to be pursued across the drug supply chain, including RFID, Point of Dispensing Authentication and Electronic Pedigree. Additionally, legislation must be strengthened to make penalties outweigh profits."

Louis Ling, General Counsel of the Nevada Board of Pharmacy, and an expert source cited in Dangerous Doses, recommends that pharmaceutical companies strengthen their practice of shutting down illegal operators. "Several drug companies have shown that they can move fast to cut off diverters and counterfeiters. This is the kind of industry action needed to protect American consumers."

Ling noted the need for uniform and stringent regulations among states in the licensing and control of drug wholesalers and drug repackaging firms. "The licensing of drug wholesalers varies by states with some states being very lax on who can legally distribute pharmaceuticals. Without an effective system, the illegal market will continue to be our Achilles Heel," Ling said.

While regulators, legislators, and industry all have a crucial role to play, American consumers can help protect themselves by going to the http://safemedicines.org/ website. "Patients can download S.A.F.E. D.R.U.G., a checklist to protect themselves from counterfeits. There they can also learn how to report fakes and sign up to receive free e-mail alerts about counterfeit drugs," said Dr. Liang.

About the Partnership for Safe Medicines

The Partnership for Safe Medicines is a coalition of patient, physician, pharmacist, university, industry and other professional organizations committed to the safety of prescription drugs and protecting consumers against unapproved, counterfeit, substandard, mishandled or otherwise unsafe medicines. For more information, visit us online at http://www.safemedicines.org/.

CONTACT: Jonathan Osmundsen, +1-202-339-0111, josmundsen@ccapr.com, for the Partnership for Safe Medicines.

Partnership for Safe Medicines

CONTACT: Jonathan Osmundsen, +1-202-339-0111, josmundsen@ccapr.com, forthe Partnership for Safe Medicines

Web site: http://www.safemedicines.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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