Fake Drugs Require More U.S. Policing, Pfizer’s Kindler Says
The proliferation of counterfeit drugs on the global market and easy availability via online pharmacies is an increasing problem. The makers of counterfeit drugs have enjoyed and profited from loopholes in a system designed to deliver healthy medicines to those in need. The rising cost of prescription medications and the ubiquitous presence of online and overseas pharmacies means more people than ever are threatened by these counterfeiting operations.
July 15 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. should do more to combat counterfeit medicines and protect intellectual property rights, said Jeffrey Kindler, the chief executive officer of Pfizer Inc., the world's largest drugmaker.
The government should hold the “worst offenders'' accountable and needs more funding to do so, Kindler said at a Senate hearing today.
By Justin Blum
15 July 2008