Partnership for Safe Medicines Offers Consumers Tools to Protect Families From Counterfeit Drugs
Posted on: Monday, 19 December 2005, 12:00 CST
VIENNA, Va., Dec. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Following news that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency recently seized imported counterfeit medicine passed off as Tamiflu(R), the Partnership for Safe Medicines wants U.S. consumers to know that they have tools to protect their families from counterfeit drugs.
Partnership President Marv Shepherd, Ph.D. notes that the seized counterfeit medicines could have posed enormous health risks, since the counterfeits lacked the right amount of active ingredient. "That could mean severe illness or death for you or your family members during a flu outbreak," said Shepherd, the Director of the Center for Pharmacoeconomic Studies at the College of Pharmacy at the University of Texas-Austin. "Subpotent counterfeit drugs also enable deadly mutations of the virus, which can reduce the drug's effectiveness. Fortunately, the government stopped the counterfeits before they reached consumers."
According to Tom Kubic, executive director of the Pharmaceutical Security Institute, anti-infective medicines have more reported incidents of counterfeiting than any other class of medicine. "We are not talking about lifestyle drugs," Kubic said. "Counterfeiters are willing to fake life-savings treatments, and our Institute's data shows that they are. Law enforcement and health authorities must stay vigilant and work together."
To protect yourself and your family, you can use the tools that the Partnership for Safe Medicines offers through its website http://www.safemedicines.org/
* SafeMeds Alert System: a free email service that broadcasts counterfeit drug alerts from FDA. * SAFEDRUG Checklist: an 8-step guide to boost your knowledge of your medicine safety and what to do in an emergency. * Safe Savings: a guide to discount and support programs in the U.S. * VIPPS Pharmacies: a direct link to legitimate online pharmacies, recommended by FDA.
"Consumers need to take an active role in the fight against counterfeit drugs," said Bryan Liang, MD, JD, PhD, executive director of the Institute of Health Law Studies and co-director of the San Diego Center for Patient Safety. "Consumers are the last barrier to harm. By using the Partnership's free tools, you can protect yourself and your family from counterfeit drugs."
About the Partnership
The Partnership for Safe Medicines is a coalition of patient, physician, pharmacist, university, industry and other professional organizations committed to protecting the public from counterfeit or contraband medicines.
CONTACT: Tom Kubic, +1-703-848-0160, or Marv Shepherd, +1-512-471-5607, or Bryan Liang, +1-619-515-1567, all of Partnership for Safe Medicines.
Partnership for Safe Medicines
CONTACT: Tom Kubic, +1-703-848-0160, or Marv Shepherd, +1-512-471-5607,or Bryan Liang, +1-619-515-1567, all of Partnership for Safe Medicines
Web site: http://www.safemedicines.org/
Source: PRNewswire
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