International Business Times sheds light on connection between the gray market for medicines and fake online pharmacies

In a lengthy article touching upon two key recent reports on drug shortages in the U.S., the International Business Times points to the expanding presence of criminals looking to turn a profit at the expense of customers’ wallets and possibly patients’ safety.

In a lengthy article touching upon two key recent reports on drug shortages in the U.S., the International Business Times points to the expanding presence of criminals looking to turn a profit at the expense of customers’ wallets and possibly patients’ safety. Third party vendors operating in a parallel medicine market are contacting – unsolicited – hospitals to offer in-demand drugs for cancer, heart disease, and other conditions at outrageously marked-up prices.  Currently, our closed, protected medicine supply chain does not permit parallel medicine trade, which allows cross-border sales of prescription medicine.  Counterfeit medicines have been found in the parallel trading markets overseas.   Meanwhile fake online pharmacies also continue to sell unauthorized and potentially harmful prescriptions over the Internet to unsuspecting consumers.

These two studies highlight the need to keep the U.S. medicine supply chain closed and protected. Vigilance keeps the global counterfeit medicine problem largely outside our borders.   However, proposed drug importation legislation could inadvertently open our borders to counterfeit imported medicine, potentially threatening the safety of our drug supply.