Former Head of FDA-OCI: “Proposed drug importation law will worsen U.S. opioid epidemic”

The Philadelphia Inquirer published this editorial by George M. Karavetsos, a partner with the global law form DLA Piper, and former director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations.

Proposed Drug Importation Law Will Worsen U.S. Opioid Epidemic
More than 60,000 Americans died from drug overdoses last year. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 100 times more powerful than morphine, caused one-fifth of those fatalities. Local law enforcement and health professionals are working at a feverish pace to prevent fatal overdoses. Even librarians in drug-plagued neighborhoods . . .

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STAT black market importation policy recommendation based in rhetoric, not facts

The most recent editorial in Stat advocating black market drug importation under the guise of “ordering prescription drugs abroad” overlooks many safety dangers. The most important oversight is in the characterization of the cost of medications. Over 80% of all medications dispensed in the U.S. are dispensed as generic, and generics as a whole are…

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American Pharmacists Association, National Association of Chain Drug Stores urge Trump to reject drug importation proposals

On June 1, 2017, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), which represents 64,000 pharmacy professionals, and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), which represents more than 100 national and regional pharmacy chains, sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him not to support legislation that would allow broad personal and commercial importation of non-FDA approved prescription drugs.

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Comment: Importing Canadian drugs could harm HIV patients

This editorial by Scott Bertani was published in the Washington Herald on May 7, 2017. Mr. Bertani is the Director of Policy and Community Relations for Lifelong AIDS Alliance, a nonprofit health advocacy group based in Western Washington.

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