Editorials

Drug Importation Isn’t Safe and It Doesn’t Make Economic Sense, Says PSM President

May 31, 2018

In this May 31, 2018 editorial for The Daily Caller, pharmacoeconomic expert Dr. Marv Shepherd explains the concrete reasons why the importation of drugs from other countries as a means to lowering prices in the U.S. is both unsafe and economically unsound.

STAT black market importation policy recommendation based in rhetoric, not facts

June 14, 2017

The most recent editorial in Stat advocating black market drug importation under the guise of “ordering prescription drugs abroad” overlooks many safety dangers. The most important oversight is in the characterization of the cost of medications. Over 80% of all medications dispensed in the U.S. are dispensed as generic, and generics as a whole are cheaper in America than Canada. But importation proponents often ignore generics and cite brand name price comparisons to justify their flawed policies. The Stat editorial falls into the same trap.  It cites a price list from PharmacyChecker.com comparing prices for medications in the US versus…

How to Stay Safe as a Patient

March 30, 2012

Patients are growing concerned about reports of counterfeit drugs being provided by doctors. Patients can protect themselves by asking their physicians questions about the origins of medicines they receive in their doctor’s office.

Read more about what patients can do to stay safe.

“Safe” Country Focus: United Kingdom

November 13, 2009

As my colleague Thomas Kubic recently noted, most supporters of drug importation have a faulty assumption that developed countries like Canada, Australia, Japan and the 27 members of the European Union (E.U.) are insulated from the global threat of counterfeit drugs. In the coming weeks, we will take a closer look at some of these so-called “safe” countries and illustrate why there is no such thing as a “safe” country when it comes to drug importation.

Counterfeit Drug Sentencing Less Than Adequate

August 10, 2009

After nearly two years under investigation, the final sentence for running an international multi-million pound counterfeit drug operation was issued in the United Kingdom. The first four convictions were made in September 2007 and on July 6, the final member of the operation received a 12 month sentence, suspended for two years, for masterminding an industrial scale conspiracy of supplying counterfeit drugs between 2002 and 2005. In total, the seven convicted members of this international counterfeit drug ring received a combined 17.5 years imprisonment—an average of 2.5 years for each participant—for their part in the U.K. distribution arm of a global ring operating from China, India and Pakistan, extending to the Caribbean and the United States.