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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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The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Cory Poelstra of Yankton, South Dakota received a 121-month prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to trafficking in fentanyl. Law enforcement found over 600 fentanyl pills when they searched his home and hundreds of packages that been used to ship online purchases of controlled substances to him…
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A South Carolina resident, who was the leader of a counterfeit drug manufacturing and distribution ring, recently was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison. Eric Hughes and his co-conspirators used rental properties as clandestine drug labs to produce 500,000 fake pills each months, which were distributed locally as well as to online customers…
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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.”
Three individuals and four companies have pending plea agreements in federal court on charges related to the illegal importation and sale of $11 million worth of herbal remedies that contained an undisclosed active pharmaceutical ingredient. Over several years, two of the individuals involved manufactured millions of pills…
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The U.S. Department of Justice handed down a superseding indictment in federal court charging five people for their roles in the counterfeit fentanyl pill death of a 32-year-old mother in Colorado in June 2018…
Read MoreProducts containing sibutramine pose a threat to consumers because sibutramine is known to substantially increase blood pressure and/or pulse rate in some patients and may present a significant risk for patients with a history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias or stroke. Health risks of ingesting phenolphthalein could include potentially serious gastrointestinal disturbances, irregular heartbeat, and cancer with long-term use. These products may also interact in life threatening ways with other medications a consumer may be taking.
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Counterfeit Iclusig (ponatinib), a cancer drug used to treat chronic myeloid and acute lymphoblastic leukemia, was first found by a Swiss wholesaler. The World Health Organization is warning North American and European cancer patients after two batches of a fake cancer medication were found in three different countries and also sold on the internet…
Read More[UPDATE: This statement has been updated to include all three pieces of pending legislation in Florida. March 5, 2019] Washington, D.C. (March 5, 2019) – Shabbir Safdar, Executive Director of the Partnership for Safe Medicines, released the following statement today in response to three separate proposals from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and and the state legislature that would legalize importation…
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The U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against an Akron, Ohio resident after a search of his home turned up items “consistent with a large-scale pill press operation.” Donyea Nelson received a nine-count indictment in federal court, which included charges for possession of fentanyl, possession of a pill press, and possession of die molds…
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