Partnership For Safe Medicines 2019 Congressional Briefings (January 31, 2019)

On Thursday, January 31, 2019, victims of counterfeit medicines and their families, local law enforcement, former DEA agents, and other experts in the fight against counterfeit medicines met for a discussion about the widespread impact fake drugs are having on communities and on the enormous burden the problem places on regulators who are responsible for our drug safety.

Since last year's briefing in April 2018, the number of states reporting fake counterfeit medicine laced with fentanyl or fentanyl analogues has risen from 43 to 46. 29 of those states have linked deaths to the drugs.

Watch the Senate briefing here, or the House briefing on C-Span.

Agenda

Panel 1: Victims of Counterfeit Drugs
Three Americans with direct experience of counterfeit medicines spoke about the danger of counterfeits from outside the closed, secure, drug supply chain.  Moderator: PSM Executive Director Shabbir Safdar

 

Panel 2: Law Enforcement on the Ground: Counterfeit Drugs in our Communities Across the U.S.
Keith Brown (DEA Deputy Assistant Administrator), Daniel Salter (Executive Director, Atlanta-Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas), and Keith Cain (Daviess County, Kentucky Sheriff; National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) Board Member; and NSA Drug Enforcement Committee Chair) discussed efforts to combat counterfeit drugs and the dangers to the public and law enforcement from importation.   Moderator: PSM’s Sven Bergmann

Panel 3: Cartels and Counterfeits: International Organized Crime Bring Counterfeit Drugs to the U.S.
Steve Murphy and Javier Peña (Retired DEA agents portrayed in Netflix’s NARCOS), Samuel J. Louis  (former Assistant United States Attorney), and Don Bell (former Canadian Border Patrol agent) discussed the role of global organized crime in the distribution of counterfeit drugs from fake online pharmacies to counterfeit pills pressed domestically with illegally imported fentanyl.  Moderator: Aaron Graham, former DEA Agent and Executive Director - Brand Safety & Security, Boehringer Ingelheim

All of the presentation slides are available by clicking here.  

Thanks to our partner organizations, who contributed to the content and promotion of this year's briefing. 

  • ADAP Advocacy Association (aaa+)
  • Alabama Pharmacy Association
  • Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies
  • American Pharmacists Association
  • BeMedWise
  • Coalition for a Secure and Transparent Internet
  • Community Access National Network
  • Healthcare Institute of New Jersey
  • Maryland Pharmacists Association
  • Minnesota Pharmacists Association
  • National Association of Chain Drug Stores
  • National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations
  • National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
  • National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators
  • National Consumers League
  • NeedyMeds
  • New Mexico Pharmacists Association
  • Ohio Pharmacists Association
  • Oklahoma Pharmacists Association
  • Pharmaceutical Security Institute
  • Rx Partnership
  • Texas Pharmacy Association