World Health Organization (WHO) representative Michael O’Leary has announced that China now has five anti-malaria drugs that have met WHO standards for prequalification. China Daily reports that a study released in January 2012 by the Wellcome Trust cites Chinese manufacturers as a major source of counterfeit anti-malaria drugs in Asia and Africa. Head researcher…
Read MoreOn May 24, 2012, Thomas Christi, Acting Office Director for the FDA’s Office of Drug Security, Integrity and Recalls sent warning letters to Pharmawest Pharmacy and Best Price Rx, two Canadian pharmacies known by their websites www.bestpricerx.com and www.northwestpharmacy.com. The warning letters state that the FDA has determined that the companies’ websites “offer an unapproved…
Read MoreCanadian citizen Andrew Strempler, 38, founder of Mediplan, which fulfilled online medicine orders for ten websites, appeared in federal court in Miami on Thursday, June 14, 2012. He is expected to be arraigned on charges related to a 2005 seizure of drugs shipped by Mediplan into the US. The medications were purported to be Canadian, but US FDA officials claim the medications were actually from other countries, reports the Canadian Broadcasting Corp (CBC).
Read MoreWashington, D.C. (June 7, 2012) – Marv Shepherd, PhD, president of the Partnership for Safe Medicines, today released the following statement marking World Anti Counterfeiting Day: “The criminals that market and distribute fake medicines are the worst kind of counterfeiters. By knowingly selling products that are harmful and potentially deadly, drug counterfeiters pose a serious…
Read MoreThe internet provides thousands of clickable links to solutions and treatments for the most common men’s health concerns, but how many of them are providing authentic, safe medication?
Learn more about common men’s health issues and how counterfeiters prey on them.
Read MoreCounterfeit medicines are more common today than ever. USA Today reports that U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 200% more counterfeit pharmaceuticals in 2011, than they did in 2002.
Read MoreReumofan Plus Alert by The U.S. Food and Drug Administration via Flickr. This is a reprint of the FDA Alert. AUDIENCE: Consumer, Health Professional, Emergency Medicine ISSUE: FDA is warning consumers that Reumofan Plus, marketed as a natural dietary supplement for pain relief and other serious conditions, contains several active pharmaceutical ingredients not listed on…
Read MoreWashington, D.C. (May 24, 2012) – Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) president Marvin D. Shepherd, PhD, today released the following statement on the U.S. Senate’s rejection of an amendment by Senator John McCain to allow the importation of prescription drugs from Canada. McCain’s measure failed by a vote of 43-54: “PSM applauds those Senators who…
Read MoreWashington, D.C. (May 21, 2012) – Marv Shepherd, PhD, president of the Partnership for Safe Medicines, today released the following statement regarding news that global leaders at the G8 Summit have addressed the growing threat posed by counterfeit medicines: “The commitment to combat rogue online pharmacies made at this past weekend’s G8 Summit reinforces the…
Read MoreLeading Health Care, Business, Labor and Advocacy Groups Join
Together to Oppose Drug Importation as Part of the Prescription
Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA)
Importation Undermines Drug Safety Protocols, Could Lead to Influx of Dangerous Counterfeit Drugs
Washington, D.C. (May 21, 2012) – In a letter sent today to members of the U.S. Senate, the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM), a public health group comprised of more than 65 organizations committed to the safety of prescription drugs and protecting consumers against counterfeit, substandard or otherwise unsafe medicines, joined with leading patient, health care, business and advocacy groups in strongly opposing any amendments that would permit legal importation as part of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA). If allowed to move forward, importation would unnecessarily expose patients to increased risk of dangerous and potentially life-threatening counterfeit medicines making their way into the United States.
Among the organizations included in the letter: the American Pharmacists Association, the Kidney Cancer Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Pharmaceutical Industry Labor Management Association (PILMA) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
“Despite the United States having the most secure drug supply chain in the world, recent incidents such as the discovery of fake Avastin prove we must remain ever vigilant,” said PSM Chairman Marvin D. Shepherd, PhD. “Contrary to claims made by importation advocates, there is no regulation for products trans-shipped through ‘safe’ countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom. Americans would be put at great risk and importation would erode the FDA’s ability to regulate prescription medicines, opening the door for more criminals to operate bogus online pharmacies that prey upon our citizens.”
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