PSM Went to Congress to Share Our Concerns About The Threat of Counterfeit Medicine

February 8, 2019

On Thursday, January 31, 2018, the Partnership for Safe Medicines held two briefings in Washington, D.C. to inform members of Congress and their staff about the dangers posed to Americans by counterfeit medicines. The events each had three panels and looked at how fake medicines have affected individuals and law enforcement, and also at the roles played by international bad actors and drug cartels…

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Partnership For Safe Medicines 2019 Congressional Briefings

February 4, 2019

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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Partnership for Safe Medicines’ Statement on New Drug Importation Bills

January 10, 2019

Washington, D.C. (January 10, 2019) – Marv Shepherd, President of the Partnership for Safe Medicines, released the following statement today in response to new legislation, the “Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act,” and the “Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act of 2019” which would allow medicines to be imported into the United States…

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Drug Importation and the Deadly Challenge of Screening 275 Million Packages a Year

October 30, 2018

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in their report U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the International Mail Facilities (IMFs), describes the daunting job that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) faces when attempting to weed out counterfeit medications and packages containing illicit fentanyl. In 2017, IMFs received 275 million packages. Of these, 10,000 were screened by CBP, and of those 86% contained drugs. The investigation of a suspect package is incredibly time-consuming; an experienced FDA investigator might take as long as 20 minutes to process a package containing just on product.

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Congress Passes Opioid Epidemic Legislative Package

October 17, 2018

The Partnership for Safe Medicines applauds the passage of the SUPPORT Act, an $8 billion package which will help develop non-addictive painkillers, improve prescription drug monitoring programs, establish comprehensive opioid recovery centers, and strengthen Customs and Border Protection’s ability to intercept fentanyl that is illegally shipped into the United States.

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Drug Importation is Fraught with Peril

August 23, 2018

As a licensed pharmacist, I’m all too familiar with patients’ difficulties getting medications they need and their physician has prescribed. As baby boomers age, pharmacists see more patients at our counters unable to obtain needed treatments for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses. This issue is now being acknowledged and a healthy debate has begun over possible solutions. But one idea policymakers shouldn’t pursue is opening up our country’s secure drug supply to medicines coming from outside our borders.

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