Counterfeit Drugs: Stay Informed Partnership for Safe Medicines

Counterfeit Drugs

Whether you live in the United States, Russia, or Ghana, counterfeit
drugs are a serious patient safety problem all around the globe. Not
only do counterfeit drugs defraud consumers, they deny ill patients the
therapies that can alleviate suffering and save lives. And in some
cases, counterfeit drugs cause great harm and fatalities.

In today’s global environment, health care professionals and
patients must be attentive to where their pharmaceutical products are
coming from. Adulterated, fraudulently-obtained, expired or counterfeit
drugs remain an issue in the United States.

In addition to the numerous illegitimate online pharmacies targeting
patients, we are faced with a dangerous problem when these potentially
deadly counterfeit medicines move through the legitimate drug supply
chains, which deliver medication to community and hospital pharmacies
nationwide, undetected and without regard to proper storage and
handling requirements.

Although most of today’s counterfeited products in the United States
are not in our “normal supply chain”, it is important for all
pharmacies to be aware of the dangers of counterfeit drugs as well as
be able to recognize and help prevent counterfeit medicines from
reaching patients. Top 10 Ways You Can Fight Counterfeit Drugs

Your cooperation is an essential part of FDA’s and state regulators’
efforts to protect the public from the dangers of diverted and
counterfeit drugs. Assist health and law enforcement officials by
maintaining copies of unsolicited offers, pedigrees, or other pertinent
documents, as well as any suspicious products. Fight Counterfeit Drugs: Report Suspicious Products & Vendors

Learn about counterfeit drugs in order to avoid, detect, and report
them. You can minimize your risk of getting a counterfeit medicine, and
you can also fight back by reporting these cases to the FDA, Health
Canada, and other agencies fighting counterfeits. Protect your family from counterfeit drugs

The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM), a group of organizations
and individuals that have policies, procedures, or programs to protect
consumers from contraband and counterfeit medicines, is working
together to protect the safety of your prescription drugs. We invite
you to join us in our stand against counterfeit drugs.

In addition to our SafeMeds emails, we have many resources available to protect your family from counterfeit drugs.