HIV-Positive Advocate Reminds Americans About the Dangers of Imported Drugs

It isn’t just policymakers who believe drug importation will open the U.S. drug supply to counterfeits. In this editorial, published in the Times of Northwest Indiana on March 6, 2019, HIV-positive advocate Brandon Macsata explains that his own physician objected to ordering medicine from Canadian online pharmacies:

“It never crossed my mind that I might have been taking counterfeit medicine, or that the medicines meant to control my HIV could be compromising my immune system. So when my doctor found out, she told me to stop immediately. She warned me that online pharmacies often sell counterfeit drugs.”

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Canadian And American Pharmacists Associations Jointly Warn Against Drug Importation Policies

The Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) have issued a joint statement in opposition to U.S. federal legislation authorizing personal and commercial importation of prescription drugs from Canada.

“While we recognize the desire to address affordability issues in the U.S.,” they write, “we strongly oppose the importation of prescription drugs from Canada because of the risks these policies pose to patient safety and
continuity of care.”

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In Annual Hill Briefing, Law Enforcement Authorities and Current and Former DEA Agents Share Details on Danger Posed by Counterfeit Drugs and Illicit Fentanyl Imports

Photo of Javier Peña, Steve Murphy and Aaron Graham

In Capitol Hill briefings sponsored by the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) on January 31, former and current law enforcement leaders sounded a warning over the increased flow of counterfeit drugs and lethal fentanyl into the United States, noting that international drug traffickers and crime syndicates see our nation as a lucrative market.

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Over Four Years After Being Indicted, CEO of Unlicensed Canadian Wholesaler Sentenced

The U.S. Department of Justice announced a 26-month prison sentence for Tzvi Lexier, a principal at TC Medical Group. After fighting extradition from Canada, Lexier pleaded guilty in federal court for his role that saw over $18 million in misbranded and counterfeit drugs smuggled into the U.S. and sold to doctors’ offices around the country…

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Tennessee Pair Found With 10,000 Alprazolam Pills In Their Home

The 9th Judicial District Drug Task Force received an award recently at the annual meeting of the Tennessee Narcotic Officers Association. Among their many accomplishments this year, this task force was involved in seizing 10,000 Xanax pills shipped from Canada to a Kingston couple…

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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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