Posts by psm2016
Letter to President Barack Obama
April 8, 2009 President Barack Obama1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President, On behalf of the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM), a group of organizations and individuals that have policies, procedures, or programs to protect consumers from counterfeit or contraband medicines and dedicated to the safety of the drug supply, I would like…
[...]Seiter A. Health and economic consequences of counterfeit drugs. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2009;85(6):576-8.
"Counterfeit Drugs Kill" is the slogan the World Health Organization (WHO) uses in its anti-counterfeiting campaign. International organizations, governments of developed and developing countries, and the pharmaceutical industry created the IMPACT initiative (International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce) to take on the thriving illegal industry that makes profits by selling fake drugs. However, before committing resources,…
[...]Education…The Prescription for Purchasing Medications
The cost of counterfeiting is much more than money. In too many cases, counterfeiting costs human health and in some cases lives. For example, a group of clinics in Sierra Leone were closed last week for allegedly administering counterfeit drugs. Other cases involving online drug sellers have claimed the health and lives of patients who bought from illicit Web sites.
[...]Mile High Warnings of Counterfeit Drugs
It’s happening all the time. Nearly every day, there are new reports of counterfeit drugs flooding the world’s prescription drug market. Just last week, the Partnership for Safe Medicines posted a link about how counterfeit drugs are hastening drug-resistant strains of malaria. And the week before, we shared the news reports out of the United Kingdom about a raid on an Irish counterfeit drug distribution operation and the MHRA’s recall due to possible counterfeit inhalers found in the U.K. supply system.
[...]Cheerios… A Threat Larger Than Counterfeit Drugs?
On May 5, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) administered a warning against General Mills regarding the claim that Cheerios® Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal has the ability to lower cholesterol. Basically, the FDA cited General Mills for marketing Cheerios® as a cholesterol-reducing drug. I believe the FDA’s points are valid and factual, but I have to ask – Shouldn’t our agency watchdog be focusing greater attention on the operators of thousands of Web sites and
[...]Is Drug Safety in the U.S. Moving in the Right Direction?
Protecting the public’s health is an important part of the part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) job. And on May 7, the FDA proposed several measures that would allow the agency to better regulate the safety of Americans’ food and medical products. The FDA request for the President’s fiscal year 2010 budget asks for $3.2 billion to protect and promote public health. This figure, which is a 19 percent increase from the current FDA fiscal year budget, is a significant step towards the direction of a safer pharmaceutical supply chain.
[...]Dr. Bayardo Cruz Pleads Guilty in California Fake IUD Case
Dr. Bayardo Cruz pleaded guilty to purchasing imported Mexican IUDs from a company called Universal Services. These devices cost $30 each, a substantial discount from the FDA approved versions, which ranged from $300 – $400 each. Cruz inserted 110 of the black market IUDs in his patients, but continued to bill Medi-Cal for the legitimate…
[...]Counterfeit Insulin Needles Found in the UK
Counterfeit Insulin Needles Found in UK View Larger Map What: A batch of counterfeit insulin pen needles emulating those made by Novo Nordisk were discovered in the United Kingdom. According to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in England, “the needles were not made by Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of NovoFine® and do not comply with…
[...]Counterfeit ‘Lifestyle’ Drugs Uncovered in Indonesia
Counterfeit ‘Lifestyle’ Drugs Uncovered in Indonesia View Larger Map What: Counterfeit drugs, including antibiotics, contraceptives and blood pressure medications were seized in Indonesia. Counterfeit lifestyle drugs including whitening creams and erectile dysfunction medications were also found. When: March 17, 2009 Where: Towns across the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. Additional details: The Jakarta…
[...]Southern California Oncologist Convicted in Cancer Drug Importation Scheme
In May 2009, Dr. Vinod Patwardhan, an oncologist working in Upland and Chino, California, was found guilty by a jury of smuggling foreign, misbranded cancer drugs into the United States and administering them to his patients. Between 2004 and 2008, Patwardhan purchased $1.3 million worth of injectable cancer drugs from foreign sources. He and his…
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