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Pharmacy Expert Says Internet is Key to Fighting Counterfeiters Worldwide
Washington, D.C. (March 7, 2006) � The Partnership for Safe Medicines, a coalition of patient, physician, pharmacist, university, industry and professional organizations, today announced that its SafeMeds Alert System has become a part of the Food and Drug Administration�s (FDA) Counterfeit Alert Network.
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The FDA has warned that the U.S. drug supply is a potential target for terrorism. On March 29, 2006, the federal Joint Terrorism Task Force unsealed an indictment charging 19 people with operating a global crime and terrorism ring spanning Lebanon, Canada, China, Brazil, Paraguay and the United States. The ring sold counterfeit drugs and other contraband materials, directing its…
Read MoreCounterfeit drugs are a scourge known throughout the world, and patients have been harmed and killed because of their presence. Regulation and penalties are weak against purveyors of fake medicines, yet entering and profiting from this illicit business is low cost with high returns. The Internet has fueled the sale of these counterfeits, while the current state of technology is…
Read MoreFraud in medication claims results in significant false claims. Yet the systems that purportedly are designed to detect such claims are limited in effectiveness. In combination with the porousness of the US drug supply, the criminal element has entered into the pharmaceutical distribution world with little risk and high returns. To address this combination, spot testing and patient education is…
Read MoreAbstract. Importation of medicines from Canada and other countries has been proposed to provide relief from high drug prices in the US and greater access for underserved patients. Yet importation necessarily raises the issue of counterfeit drugs. The latter are a worldwide problem that have affected even the US closed regulatory and supply system. Counterfeit drugs were previously limited to…
Read MoreView larger map Four people who had been treated in a South Florida clinic developed Botulism poisoning as a result of injections with counterfeit Botox. Two were patients at a facility licensed as a spa called Advanced Integrated Medical Center (AIMC). The other two were Bach McComb, the owner of AIMC, and his assistant Alma Hall. Investigations at the AIMC…
Read MoreMuch interest and controversy abounds regarding the benefits and perils associated with the importation of pharmaceuticals. The Internet has provided an uncertain vehicle for such importation especially as it pertains to two key areas: product authentication and product integrity. As a result, questions exist as to whether other U.S. entities may provide a more legitimate and safer alternative to the…
Read MoreDrug importation from Canada is an issue attracting tremendous attention in the United States. The issue of importation is intertwined with the potential for counterfeit drugs, and several considerations regarding this issue deserve attention. First, drugs used in the United States and Canada are manufactured around the world. Second, many of the counterfeiting issues focus around entry, not at the…
Read MoreA Tuesday opinion from Nevada Attorney General George Chanos cast doubt over a state program for importing cheap Canadian drugs but it remained unclear whether the program would be scuttled. ANJEANETTE DAMON 12/28/2005 Read the full story at rgj.com.
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