Senator McSally Meets with Experts on the Counterfeit Drug Trade

The Arizona Republic has reported that Executive Director Shabbir Safdar, along with Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration special agent in charge Doug Coleman, and Phoenix-area pharmacist Randle House and met with U.S. Senator Martha McSally in Arizona on August 8th to seek her assistance and support for efforts to protect the U.S. prescription drug supply from counterfeit medication

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Things we learned from sending a Freedom of Information Act request to Florida’s healthcare agency implementing importation

PSM filed comments recently with the state of Florida’s healthcare agency that’s attempting to make the mess of Canadian drug importation work after the legislature passed it without any serious scrutiny. After we filed comments, we subsequently filed a request to see who else filed comments and we’re left now with more questions than answers.…

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New Jersey Legislature Works to Increase Penalties for Drug Counterfeiters

In June, the New Jersey Assembly passed A-5037, a bill that increases penalties for those who create, distribute or administer counterfeit, adulterated or misbranded medical drugs and devices. The legislation, which has been sent to the New Jersey Senate’s Budget and Appropriations Committee, would make the sale of more than 100 units of fake medicine punishable by a sentence of five to ten years, a fine of up to $150,000, or both.

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New York District Attorney Indicts Major Online Drug Fake Xanax and Illicit Drug Seller

The office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. announced the largest counterfeit pill seizure in New Jersey history this month. In addition to large quantities of other illicit drugs, between 420,000 and 620,000 counterfeit Xanax were discovered during the arrest and search of Chester Anderson, Jarrette Codd, and Ronald MacCarty for their alleged role in selling $2.3 million worth of illicit drugs via the internet.

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Keeping The Drug Supply Chain Safe Keeps Patients Safe

In a statement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. discussed the agency’s continuing efforts to combat the spread of illicit opioids and to ensure the security of America’s drug supply chain. Included in their recent efforts, Commissioner Gottlieb noted that the agency has stepped up enforcement and interdiction work at International Mail Facilities and shut down websites illegally selling potentially dangerous, unapproved, and misbranded versions of opioid medications to U.S. citizens…

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Former FBI Director Louis Freeh Updates His 2017 Report on the Threat of Congressional Drug Importation Proposals

Former FBI Director Louis Freeh has released an addendum to his 2017 Report on the Potential Impact of Drug Importation Proposals on U.S. Law Enforcement, concluding:

…the government has not done enough to evaluate and improve the capacity of law enforcement to deal with a new pipeline of drugs into the U.S. drug supply, all while . . . more illegal drugs are being shipped to the United States. Passing any drug importation scheme would erase the little progress we have made and set law enforcement further back on their heels.

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