PSM, Partners Host Fall 2019 Congressional Briefings About Counterfeit Drug Dangers

PSM's briefing speakers and family members of victims gather in front of the U.S. Capitol

On September 24, 2019, the Partnership for Safe Medicines and 19 partner organizations held two congressional briefings about the real dangers counterfeit drugs pose to Americans, offering a clear picture of why importation cannot solve the problem of high drug prices in the U.S.:

Canada does not have enough prescription drugs to share with U.S.patients, and organized crime is poised to expand the counterfeit drug trade into the U.S. to bridge the gap without regard for the health and safety of U.S. residents. “The money to be made is far too great to worry about human life.”

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Partnership For Safe Medicines 2019 Congressional Briefings

On Thursday, January 31, 2019, victims of counterfeit medicines and their families, local law enforcement, former DEA agents, and other experts in the fight against counterfeit medicines met for a discussion about the widespread impact fake drugs are having on communities and on the enormous burden the problem places on regulators who are responsible for our drug safety.

Learn more and watch the briefing here.

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“Current Threats to American Patients from Counterfeiters,” March 7-8, 2016

“Current Threats to American Patients from Counterfeiters,” March 7-8, 2016 In a case currently in US courts, the Department of Justice alleges that CanadaDrugs.com sold $78 million worth of unapproved, mislabeled and counterfeit cancer drugs to doctors throughout the US between 2009 and 2012.  The CanadaDrugs.com case, which is one of several cases in recent years involving the sale of counterfeit…

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The Partnership for Safe Medicines Congressional Briefing March 16 -17, 2017

In 2017, the danger of counterfeit drugs is serious and ubiquitous in America, touching all 50 states. Large-scale smugglers bring in fake cancer drugs containing nothing but mold and water and sell them at a discount to oncologists. Fake pills containing deadly doses of fentanyl appear in the supply chain either from fake online pharmacies…

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Fake online pharmacies US Congressional briefing, Thursday June 23, 2011

Many “online pharmacies” are not pharmacies at all – they are large criminal organizations that make money by selling fake drugs with little or no active ingredient.  They are widely advertised through email spam and have convincing sounding names like “Trusted Pharmacy Co, UK.”  But they are not real pharmacies accredited by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, nor their products regulated by the FDA.  These criminal enterprises usually reside in countries with little ability to enforce fraud and counterfeiting laws. 

To provide insights into this important public health matter, the Partnership for Safe Medicines and Senator Chris Coons hosted a briefing for members of Congress and their staff at the US Capitol Visitors Center.  You can watch the briefing below by pressing play, or watching it on YouTube.

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Prescription Drug Safety Hill Briefing: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at Noon

Tom Kubic at the Congressional briefing on March 30, 2011.  See all the photos. Counterfeit drugs – like the 20,000 pills seized last month by U.S. Customs official at Kennedy Airport in New York – defraud consumers and deny patients therapies that can alleviate suffering and save lives. Unfortunately, in some cases, these drugs have caused great…

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