Close up of counterfeit oxycodone seized in Ontario, CA, June 2020

#FakePillsKill Three Young Adults Share Their Experiences with Fake Drugs

August 31, 2020

De‘Anna described her first experience with what she now knows was a counterfeit pill: “My first time taking a pill that was cut, a counterfeit pill, I blacked out, and woke up vomiting.”  She also described losing her partner to a fake pill, who died from one when he was just 21.

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August 27, 2020 video: Behind the Scam: When Labels Lie

August 27, 2020

This week’s “behind the scam” video discusses a real-life example of “Uplabeling,” which is a technique that counterfeit criminals have used in the past to make major profits. Learn about what happened when counterfeiters slipped diluted anemia medicine back into the legitimate drug supply.

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Counterfeit Medicine News for the Week of August 17, 2020

August 25, 2020

In PSM’s round-up this week: Our infographic summary of the NABP’s May report about fake pharmacies cashing in on COVID-19, ongoing coronavirus fraud, and the week in fake medicine.

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Counterfeit Pill Takes the Life of a Hardworking College Graduate

August 24, 2020

24-year-old Travis Jacobson was excited about an upcoming job interview. Recently graduated from Sacramento State University, he moved to Los Angeles to live with his best friend Landon and launch a career in public relations. Sadly, Travis never made it to that interview. Wanting a good night’s sleep beforehand, he took a Xanax pill that turned out to be a fake made with fentanyl, and it took his life.

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Louisiana AG Warns About Counterfeit Pills On College Campuses

August 20, 2020

In this editorial, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry warns parents and students about the dangers posed by counterfeit pills being sold on college campuses.

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NABP: Rogue Online Pharmacies in the Time of Pandemic: Capitalizing on Misinformation and Fear

August 18, 2020

In May 2020, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy released Rogue Online Pharmacies in the Time of Pandemic: Capitalizing on Misinformation and Fear. to review how fake online pharmacies were exploiting patients responding to COVID-19.

This month, PSM finished an illustrated summary of NABP’s findings.

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Young man in letter jacket standing in front a wall, wrestling boots, badge and medal alongside him

Life Cut Short for an All-American Kid

August 17, 2020

22-year-old West Haven, Utah resident Jaydon Rogers was an “all-American-kid.” A champion high school wrestler, he had tremendous enthusiasm for all kinds of sports, his family and life. Jaydon died of fentanyl poisoning on March 14, 2018 after he unknowingly took a counterfeit pill.

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Screenshot of facemaskcenter.com homepage

Counterfeit Medicine News for the Week of August 10, 2020

August 17, 2020

In PSM’s round-up this week: selling fake facemasks to fund ISIS, fake COVID-19 cures and fake prescription drug trafficking.

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Photo of patient advocate John Adams

Canadian patient advocate urges American friends to reject the “empty promises” of importation

August 14, 2020

In this August 14, 2020 editorial, Best Medicines Coalition chair John Adams explains why Canadian importation will not lower U.S. medicine prices—and why the “concept of cheap drugs from Canada has never been anything more than a political hallucination.”

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picture of a pill press

Counterfeit Medicine News for the Week of August 3, 2020

August 12, 2020

In PSM’s round-up this week: COVID-19 fraud, a new DEA initiative to slow the sale of pill presses, and ongoing counterfeit pill news—including charges filed in the death of L.A. Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs.

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