Spreading the word about safety on World Anti-Counterfeiting Day
May 28 2013 is World Anti-Counterfeiting Day. The Global Anti Counterfeiting Network has announced Interpol and the Malaysia Health Service as the winners of their 15th Annual Global Anti Counterfeiting Awards. While not an event traditionally widely observed, this day gives us a chance to try and highlight our work to protect patients from counterfeit drugs. If you’re reading this, you probably care about protecting patients, but you haven’t done anything to prepare for the event. The Partnership for Safe Medicines has made it easy for you to highlight patient safety on this day, by giving you easy resources for writing tweets, posting to Facebook, sending email, or writing a letter to the editor on this day.
If you’re planning to help, please send us a note and we’ll keep an eye out for your messages!
Quick links:
- Campaign homepage: http://www.safemedicines.org/patient-and-doctor-tips-shareable-content.html
- TIPS for American patients: http://www.safemedicines.org/drug-safety-tips-for-patients.html
- TIPS for American physicians: http://www.safemedicines.org/drug-safety-tips-for-doctors.html
What we have planned
We are launching our patient and physician TIPS campaign on
World Anti-Counterfeiting Day. The campaign includes 25+ tips on how patients can avoid counterfeit drugs, and physicians can avoid unauthorized distributors selling counterfeit drugs. The tips have short versions that can fit in a tweet or Facebook message, or longer versions that can fit in an email or print newsletter. Each one contains an original illustration.
Ways you can help
Post a tip to Facebook or Twitter.
Post a note of support for the campaign recognizing PSM’s efforts on Twitter.
Send a tip to your mailing list, with links to more.
Post a blog post on your website.
Post a link to our campaign on your website, either in text or with one of
the tips graphics.
Write an op-ed.
May 28 2013 is World Anti-Counterfeiting Day. The Global Anti Counterfeiting Network has announced Interpol and the Malaysia Health Service as the winners of their 15th Annual Global Anti Counterfeiting Awards. While not an event traditionally widely observed, this day gives us a chance to try and highlight our work to protect patients from counterfeit drugs. If you’re reading this, you probably care about protecting patients, but you haven’t done anything to prepare for the event. The Partnership for Safe Medicines has made it easy for you to highlight patient safety on this day, by giving you easy resources for writing tweets, posting to Facebook, sending email, or writing a letter to the editor on this day.
If you’re planning to help, please send us a note and we’ll keep an eye out for your messages!
Quick links:
- Campaign homepage: http://www.safemedicines.org/patient-and-doctor-tips-shareable-content.html
- TIPS for American patients: http://www.safemedicines.org/drug-safety-tips-for-patients.html
- TIPS for American physicians: http://www.safemedicines.org/drug-safety-tips-for-doctors.html
What we have planned
We are launching our patient and physician TIPS campaign on
World Anti-Counterfeiting Day. The campaign includes 25+ tips on how patients can avoid counterfeit drugs, and physicians can avoid unauthorized distributors selling counterfeit drugs. The tips have short versions that can fit in a tweet or Facebook message, or longer versions that can fit in an email or print newsletter. Each one contains an original illustration like this one:
Ways you can help
Post a tip to Facebook or Twitter.
Twitter tips for Patients
Did you know the best place to buy fake drugs is an online pharmacy? Use caution when buying drugs online #fakedrugs http://www.safemedicines.org/drug-safety-tips-for-patients.html
Pay attention to changes in the taste of your pills. Does the drug taste different? #fakedrugs http://www.safemedicines.org/drug-safety-tips-for-patients.html
Twitter Tips for Doctors
Not sure if a medicine distributor is a legitimate? Check
and make sure it is licensed #fakedrugs http://www.safemedicines.org/drug-safety-tips-for-doctors.html
Is patient experiencing unexpected side effects/new
symptoms? Ask where they got their prescription filled #fakedrugs http://www.safemedicines.org/drug-safety-tips-for-doctors.html
Facebook Tips for Patients
Buying your prescriptions from an online pharmacy? Check and make sure it is VIPPS-certified before making any purchases. VIPPS stands for Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites, and it is an online pharmacy accreditation service provided by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. If an online pharmacy has received VIPPS accreditation, you can be confident that they are in compliance with state and federal regulations, as well as meeting the NABP’s criteria for safe online pharmacies. http://www.safemedicines.org/drug-safety-tips-for-patients.html
People think of Canada is a safe, modern country, but just because an online pharmacy has a Canadian flag on its home page does not mean it is located in Canada. Find out where that online pharmacy is really located before buying anything from them. Online pharmacies use the Canadian flag to lull you into a false sense of security, since Canada has a reputation for low cost prescriptions. Website addresses and images tell you almost nothing about where that “Canadian” online pharmacy is actually located. That innocent-looking online pharmacy could
very well be a front for a major organized crime gang. Don’t take a chance with your health or your identity by visiting these sites. http://www.safemedicines.org/drug-safety-tips-for-patients.html
Facebook Tips for Doctors
Not sure if a medicine distributor is a legitimate distributor? Check and make sure it is licensed. If a medicine distributor offers you a price that appears to be too good to be true, it probably is. First thing to do is check what companies are listed as authorized distributors of the medication on the manufacturer’s
website. Only purchase medicines from licensed wholesale drug distributors. The FDA has a webpage that has links to verify by state wholesale drug distributor licenses: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/DrugIntegrityandSupplyChainSecurity/ucm281446.htm
Reconsider before buying drugs online. According to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, only 3 percent of more than 10,000 online pharmacies reviewed comply with U.S. pharmacy laws. Many rogue online pharmacies use fake “storefronts” to
make people think they come from countries with high safety standards. http://www.safemedicines.org/drug-safety-tips-for-doctors.html
Post a note of support for the campaign recognizing PSM’s efforts on
Twitter. Here are some examples
On World Anti-counterfeiting Day, we support @safemedicines
patient safety campaign #fakedrugs http://www.safemedicines.org/drug-safety-tips-for-doctors.html
To mark World Anti-counterfeiting Day, @safemedicines has
created a drug safety campaign #fakedrugs http://www.safemedicines.org/drug-safety-tips-for-patients.html
Take a page from @safemedicines on World Anti-counterfeiting
Day & share their patient safety campaign #fakedrugs http://www.safemedicines.org/drug-safety-tips-for-patients.html
Send an email to your mailing list about the campaign
Dear Members,
In honor of World Anti-counterfeiting Day, the Partnership
for Safe Medicines has created a new drug safety campaign for both patients and physicians.
For physicians, there are 27 drug safety tips, and for patients there are 25 drug safety tips. Each tip includes a graphic illustration that conveys the idea behind each tip.
The drug safety tips can be used as an educational resource
for our members .
Send a tip to your mailing list, with links to more
Reconsider before buying drugs online. According to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, only 3 percent of more than 10,000 online pharmacies reviewed comply with U.S. pharmacy laws. Many rogue online pharmacies use fake “storefronts” to
make people think they come from countries with high safety standards. http://www.safemedicines.org/drug-safety-tips-for-doctors.html
Post a blog post on your website
Blog Talking Points
- Partnership for Safe Medicines has been advocating for patient and drug safety since 2003
- PSM’s new drug safety campaign is aimed at both doctors and patients
- PSM is launching their drug safety tip campaign on World Anticounterfeiting Day
- Educating physicians could help prevent incursions of counterfeit drugs into the secure supply chain, such as the case
of counterfeit Avastin being purchased by US doctors. - Doctors are an important link in the secure US drug supply chain. Drug safety tips educate doctors about working within the secure US drug supply chain.
- Educating patients can help protect patients from the dangers they face from fake online pharmacies.
- Patients are the primary target for fake online pharmacies. Drug safety tips provide safe alternatives for patients seeking to save money by buying their drugs online.
- For more information on the campaign, please visit http://www.safemedicines.org/patient-and-doctor-tips-shareable-content.html
Post a link to our campaign on your website, either in text or with one of
the tips graphics
Here is a link you can post on your patient resources
website:
Drug Safety Campaign for Doctors
Drug Safety Campaign for Patients
Drug Safety Campaign Landing Page
Write an op-ed
Do you have a regular column on a local newspaper or an online outlet like Huffington Post?
Consider working with us to put together an op-ed about the importance of the campaign. We can be reached at editors@safemedicines.org or (703) 679-7233.
What Others Are Saying
PhRMA Promotes World Anti-Counterfeiting Day and our Drug Safety Campaign