Leading Patient Safety Groups Collaborate for Women’s Health Week
New infographic focuses on dangers to women’s health from counterfeit and black market medicine
Washington, D.C. (May 14, 2014) – This week is women’s health week, and nationally-known patient advocates Men’s Health Network and public health advocates the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) are sounding the alarm about the growing danger of counterfeit and black market drugs on women.
PSM and Men’s Health Network have collaborated to release a new infographic, “9 Risks to Women’s Health From Counterfeit Drugs,” available online and in poster form.
Ana Fadich, MPH, CHES, Vice President of the Men’s Health Network, underscored the importance of this issue: “The promise of healthcare is broken when criminals substitute fake medications for real ones. Cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease, respiratory disease and many other conditions that affect women disproportionately have also been targeted by counterfeiters. It’s critical that female patients are savvy about the risks and learn how to mitigate them.”
“Criminals target patients of both genders through fake online pharmacies that pretend to be Canadian but actually sell you medications made in dirty labs in the third world,” said PSM President Marv Shepherd. “Only by buying your medication from a US-licensed pharmacy can you ensure that you don’t injure yourself with a fake or toxic counterfeit.”
Thousands of copies of the poster will be distributed for free by Men’s Health Network to clinics around the country and at health fairs throughout 2014. The Partnership for Safe Medicines is also publishing the poster/infographic online at http://safedr.ug/psm-women.
For additional artwork related to this graphic for your publication, please contact:
- Ana Fadich Men’s Health Network
- healthfamilies@menshealthnetwork.org
- 202-543-6461 ext. 101
- Partnership for Safe Medicines
- editors@safemedicines.org
- (703) 679-7233