Dateline's Bitter Pills Investigation Highlights Need for Consumer Awareness of Counterfeit Drugs

Dateline's Bitter Pills Investigation Highlights Need for Consumer Awareness of Counterfeit Drugs

VIENNA, Va., June 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Dateline's June 4 program "Bitter Pill" has done the nation a tremendous service by exposing the criminal underworld of the counterfeit drug trade. Medicine counterfeiting is a vicious problem that affects the developed world as much as the developing world. These products are not safe and can even be lethal. But consumers need to know that they can do something about the problem.

Counterfeit drugs are posing increasing risk to U.S. consumers, especially when shopping online, according to Tom Kubic, Executive Director of the Pharmaceutical Security Institute. The Institute, which has been working to document this phenomenon, detected a 40.2% increase in counterfeiting worldwide as the incident totals grew from 557 in 2004 to 781 in 2005. Mr. Kubic stated that: "Except a few legitimate U.S. internet pharmacies, there is little or no effective control over drugs purchased over the internet. In contrast, there's substantial regulation over drugs in the legitimate supply chain. It's like night and day, and U.S. consumers need to know the risks before they go online."

University of Texas College of Pharmacy Professor Marv Shepherd, Ph.D warns that these counterfeit drugs are not mere "lookalikes," but pose serious health risks. "Bitter Pill" demonstrated that counterfeiters are mixing pills with gypsum and highway paint. "Counterfeit drugs kill. They kill when they lack an active ingredient you need for your health, and they kill when they're laced with toxic substances," said Shepherd. "No one should ever gamble with their health on a false promise of a fake medicine."

Consumers can minimize their risks by becoming informed and active, according to Bryan Liang, Ph.D., M.D., J.D. The Partnership for Safe Medicines offers a SAFEDRUG guide for consumers to detect counterfeits, a free email alert system called the SafeMeds Alert System, and links to legal online pharmacies in the U.S. on safemedicines.org. "Patients are the last barrier to harm against counterfeit drugs. Everyone can take simple, practical steps to protect against counterfeiters by using the resources available at safemedicines.org," Liang said.

About the Partnership

The Partnership for Safe Medicines is a coalition of patient, physician, pharmacist, university, industry and other professional organizations committed to protecting the public from counterfeit or contraband medicines.

Contact:
Tom Kubic, 703-848-0160
Marv Shepherd, 512-471-5607
Bryan Liang, 619-515-1567

Source: Partnership for Safe Medicines

CONTACT: Tom Kubic, +1-703-848-0160, Marv Shepherd, +1-512-471-5607, or
Bryan Liang, +1-619-515-1567, all of the Partnership for Safe Medicines

Web site: http://www.safemedicines.org/

-------
Profile: intent