PSM2012: Startling and Compelling Speakers Focused on Patient Safety and Criminal Acts

The Partnership for Safe Medicines’ 2012 Interchange on September 28th, 2012 at the National Press Club brought together researchers, patient advocates, law enforcement and industry to discuss the damage counterfeit medications and fake online pharmacies cause to Americans.

“This year’s Interchange was our boldest, most ambitious effort to date,” said PSM President Dr. Marvin D. Shepherd. “By bringing together stakeholders from as far away as India and Great Britain to share information and ideas on how to win the war on counterfeit medicines, we are sending a message to counterfeiters worldwide: the noose is tightening, and you can’t hide forever. As regulators and law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad come to grips with the great public health risk of fake drugs, our efforts and successes will only intensify in the future.”

Among the many outstanding speakers and panels, researcher Tim K. Mackey, a PhD student at the SDSU-UCSD Joint Doctoral Program for Global Health, presented original research “A Day in the Life of Online Drug Sellers Using Social Media.”  Following Mackey, researcher Damon McCoy of George Mason University presented research done in conjunction with the International Computer Science Institute on “Payment Processing and Online Pharmacies.”  FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg presented the keynote address, telling the audience that fighting counterfeit drugs requires a proactive approach, and John Roth, Director of the US Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigation, presented at the luncheon his agency’s efforts to combat counterfeit drugs.

To see the full 2012 Interchange archive, including videos and presentations, click here.