News
More Education, Enforcement Needed to Protect Patients from Counterfeit Prescription Drugs
Washington, D.C. (February 27, 2014) – Marv Shepherd, President of the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM), released the following statement on today’s hearing on counterfeit medicines held by the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. The hearing, titled “Counterfeit Drugs: Fighting Illegal Supply Chains” brought to light some disturbing trends that must…
[...]Online Availability of Drugs in Shortage: PSM Research Looks at How Unscrupulous Vendors Exploit Shortages for Financial Gain
In Online Availability And Safety Of Drugs In Shortage: A Descriptive Study Of Internet Vendor Characteristics, Dr. Tim Mackey and Dr. Bryan Liang examined how Internet pharmaceutical vendors take advantage of known drug shortages to market unapproved and unsafe versions of these medications directly to consumers. Find out why drug shortages play into the hands…
[...]How The Black Market Distributes Counterfeit Drugs In The U.S.
Black market medicine distributors have impacted patient health in many areas. We examined two different therapeutic areas of non-FDA approved medication infiltrating the secure U.S. drug supply chain. Learn more about the prescription drug black market and what policy makers, medical professionals, patients and consumers can do to protect the secure U.S. drug supply chain.…
[...]What Are the Real Dangers Posed By Medicine Importation From Tier One Countries?
Take a moment to peruse “Are Tier One Countries Safe to Import Medicine From?” and teach yourself about the true dangers inherent in medicine importation. The Partnership for Safe Medicines answers the question of drug importation safety with a resource designed to make clear the real costs you incur when you purchase non-FDA approved medications from…
[...]Have You Read The Counterfeit Drug Booklet for Policy Makers?
The Partnership has released a new version of this publication. Please consult the 2017 edition here. Download and read Counterfeit Drugs: A dangerous threat to American patients. This resource developed by The Partnership for Safe Medicines explains the counterfeit medicines issues as they impact the U.S. Explaining the breadth of the problem, it then details the…
[...]Alleged Counterfeit Drug Manufacturer Charged in Quebec
An illicit drug lab operating in Longueuil, Canada was outfitted to produce thousands of pills. Alleged lab owner, Alexandre Beaudry is scheduled to appear in court on charges relating to these operations on February 20, 2014. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) reported that their Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement Team (CLET) have dismantled a counterfeit drug…
[...]PSM Board Member Dr. Marv Shepherd Speaks with CBS News About Pharmacy Errors
When CBS Dallas reported on prescription fulfillment errors in Texas pharmacies, they reached out to The Partnership for Safe Medicine’s Board President, Dr. Marvin D. Shepherd to discuss the prevention of dispensing errors. Dr. Shepherd is Director of the Center for Pharmacoeconomic Studies and Chairman of the Pharmacy Administration Division at the University of Texas…
[...]Ohio Oncologists Pay $2.6 Million in Restitution For Purchasing Imported Black Market Cancer Drugs
Download the 3 Steps to Safety here. On January 29, 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that seven Ohio oncologists had been sentenced to probation for purchasing cancer medications for patients from a foreign supplier. Each doctor pleaded guilty to causing the shipment of misbranded drugs, a misdemeanor, reports the DOJ. In each…
[...]Be Heart Smart About Natural Supplements
Download HeartSmart5.pdf (1142.8K) Download and share “Be Heart Smart About Natural Supplements” which explains the dangers that can be posed to your heart by seemingly innocuous “natural” dietary supplements. A quick visit to the FDA Consumer page devoted to dietary supplements demonstrates only too clearly the dangers posed by these untested and unregulated “natural” treatments.…
[...]Turkish Nationals Indicted in Counterfeit Cancer Drug Scam Centering on Saint Louis
Two Turkish nationals have been indicted in a counterfeit cancer drug smuggling ring that illegally imported fake cancer treatments from Turkey and other countries and sold them to doctors and clinics in the Saint Louis area. Ozkan Semizoglu and Sabahaddin Akman, both citizens of Turkey, are alleged to have imported “unapproved, misbranded, adulterated and counterfeit…
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