About PSM
What is “Permanently Scheduling” Fentanyl-related Substances and Analogues, and Why is it so Important?
Learn why permanently scheduling fentanyl-related substances and analogues on Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act is an important policy tool in the fight against fentanyl-laced counterfeit medicines.
[...]A Campaign to Spread the Word About Fake Pill Deaths in the Central Valley of California
When the Central Valley Opioid Safety Commission contacted us about helping them promote a public safety message about the dangers of counterfeit pills made with fentanyl, of course we said yes. Their 30-second spot featured the family of Travis Jacobson, a young Californian who was tragically killed by a fake Xanax pill that turned out to be lethal. We at PSM were happy to underwrite both the direct costs and the labor costs of such an important public health message.
[...]Are safety-tested imported drugs still cheaper? No. They are more expensive.
Testing medicine for legitimacy is a complicated process. Across 24 different prescription medicines, the average cost to test a single dose is $2,750. However, ensuring that a batch of 100 pills is 90% certain to be safe requires testing at least 22 pills. Achieving 99.999% certainty requires even more testing, at tremendous expense. Once you’ve done the required testing, U.S. generics are cheaper. To learn more about this topic, read PSM’s summary: safedr.ug/Acri-Explained.
[...]PSM Applauds Senate Passage of the Safeguarding Therapeutics Act
The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) applauds the passage of H.R. 5663 – the Safeguarding Therapeutics Act. The bipartisan bill, introduced by Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02-R) and Congressman Eliot Engel (NY-16-D), was passed via unanimous consent in the Senate on December 8th.
[...]Statement on Litigation Challenging Legality of Administration’s Final Rule Permitting State-Sponsored Drug Importation From Canada
Today, PhRMA, The Partnership for Safe Medicines and Council for Affordable Health Coverage initiated litigation in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging action by HHS and FDA permitting pharmacists and wholesalers, pursuant to state-sponsored programs, to import certain prescription drugs from Canada into the United States without drug manufacturers’ authorization or oversight.
[...]Deadly Counterfeit Pills Found in All 50 U.S. States; Deaths Now Reported in 42 of Them.
With the recent report that police in Maui, Hawaii seized 400 counterfeit oxycodone pills made with fentanyl on October 2, 2020, the United States has reached a sobering milestone: public sources have reported about fake pills made with fentanyl in all 50 states.
[...]Statement on Trump Administration Executive Order on Drug Importation
Washington, D.C. (July 24, 2020) – Shabbir Safdar, executive director of the Partnership for Safe Medicines, released the following statement in response to President Trump’s executive order signed today on the importation of prescription drugs:
[...]PSM Statement on the New Pilot Program from NTIA and FDA
The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) applauds the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) pilot program established this week to curb unapproved opioids illegally available online by potentially suspending or blocking offending domain names.
[...]Criminal Internet Pharmacy Networks Are Capitalizing on COVID-19.
In May 2020, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) released Rogue Online Pharmacies in the Time of Pandemic: Capitalizing on Misinformation and Fear, which focuses on how established fake pharmacy networks have pivoted to cash in on the coronavirus. PSM’s illustrated version of the report offers a compact summary of NABP’s work. Watch…
[...]Download our “5 Types of #covidscams” bookmark
Our #covidscams bookmark educates patients about five kinds of online crime that have spiked since the pandemic. Download a copy for yourself and visit our covid-19 scams tracking page to catch up on the news.
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