Washington Post: US Crackdown Targets Counterfeit Drugs

Fake medicines are a growing enterprise. In a November 20th article in the Washington Post they give out excellent statistics and report on an international law enforcement effort, code named Pangea that we have blogged about several times recently.

Operation Pangea conducted organized raids on five continents to combat counterfeit drugs.

In the U.S. the crackdown uncovered 700 alleged packages of fake or suspicious prescription drugs including Viagra, Vicodin, and Claritin, and shut down 90 alleged rogue online pharmacies. The international operation took down 72 Web sites, seized nearly 1,000 packages and found more than 167,000 suspected illicit and counterfeit pills. Some may have as much as three times more of an active ingredient than is typically prescribed; others may be placebos.

According to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, a trade group, Americans spent $254 billion on prescription drugs last year, up 1.8 percent from 2007.

The increase of internet pharmacies has given rise to rogue pharmacies posing as legitimate sites. One site under federal investigation for selling erectile dysfunction medications like Viagra and Cialis states that it is headquartered in Canada, has a warehouse in India and is licensed to sell in the U.S. through Minnesota. However, the website is registered in China and is hosted in Russia.

These sites are very hard to track and the Food and Drug Administration discourages consumers from purchasing medication online except through Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice (VIPP) pharmacies, which are certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABAP). The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy maintains a list of roughly 4,000 online pharmacies it says are questionable.

The global crackdown involved a half a dozen U.S. agencies and 24 countries in a week long intensive sweep. "For the criminals, at least," said Richard Halverson, unit chief at the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, "we're telling them that everybody's looking."

To view the entire article visit: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/20/AR2009112002772.html.

Counterfeit Medicines - Filled With Empty Promises

You can avoid counterfeit medicine by purchasing only from U.S. state-licensed pharmacies. The following is a guide that appears online at www.fda.gov regarding what steps healthcare consumers should use in protecting themselves from counterfeit medications:

While counterfeit medicines are not as common in the United States as in other parts of the world, you must take an active role in managing your medicines to ensure you’re not at risk. Here are some important facts about counterfeit medicine from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Counterfeit medicines are fake or copycat medicines. They may:

• be contaminated
• contain the wrong active ingredients (the formula that makes the medicine work)
• be made with the wrong amount of ingredients
• contain no active ingredients at all
• be packaged in phony packaging.

Medicines that are counterfeit may not help the condition the medicine was intended to treat and may lead to dangerous side effects. How can you avoid counterfeits?

• Purchase ONLY from state-licensed pharmacies that are located in the United States, where FDA and state authorities can assure the quality of drug manufacturing, packaging, distribution and labeling. This way, you know your medicine is coming from a reputable source, and you can get help if you have any problems with your medicine. If you buy over the Internet:


• Check to see if a pharmacy is licensed, is in good standing, and is located in the United States. Contact your local state board of pharmacy or the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) at http://www.nabp.net or 1-847-698-6227, or
• Check to see if an Internet pharmacy site has the VIPPS Seal, the seal of the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites Accreditation Program. This program was established by the NABP to help protect you and guide you through Internet pharmacy shopping. Legitimate pharmacies that carry the VIPPS Seal are listed at http://www.nabp.net/vipps/consumer/listall.asp.


• Know your medicine. Any time you get a prescription refilled, check the color, texture,
• taste and shape of the medicine. Anything different? Talk to your pharmacist.
• Give your doctor and pharmacist a complete list of all medicines (over-the-counter and prescription) that you use. They will also want to know what dietary supplements you use, including vitamins and herbals.

Mayo Clinic: The Do’s and Don’ts of Buying Prescriptions Online

The following pointers are from MayoClinic.com about the do’s and don’ts to buying prescription drugs online:

Things to do:

• Do consult your doctor. Only take medications prescribed for you by your doctor or another health care professional who knows you. He or she can determine if a particular drug is safe for you or if another treatment would be more appropriate.
  
• Do use a licensed pharmacy. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy can tell you whether an online pharmacy is licensed and in good standing. Some sites carry a seal of approval from Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (or VIPPS). To gain this approval, sites must maintain state licenses and allow inspections by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.
  
• Do insist on access to a registered pharmacist. Reputable sites offer toll-free access to registered pharmacists to answer your questions. Some online pharmacies have traditional physical locations as well. If you have questions about a medication after you begin taking it or you're concerned about drug reactions, it may be valuable to speak with a pharmacist in person.


• Do read the privacy and security policies. Before placing an order, be confident that your credit card number, personal health information and other personally identifiable information will be protected.


• Do compare prices. You may find great deals online, but there aren't any guarantees. Check your local drugstore's price—it might beat the online price. If online prices are significantly lower than your local pharmacy, you should question whether the site is legitimate.


• Do be alert for counterfeits. In some cases, drugs ordered online turned out to contain no active ingredient or to contain the wrong medicine. Reduce your risk by only using legitimate online pharmacies. Don't use any medicine that arrives in altered or unsealed packaging.

Things not to do:

• Don't use a site that bypasses prescriptions. Online pharmacies that dispense medication without a valid prescription are violating U.S. law. Don't be lured in by sites that give you a prescription if you complete an online questionnaire. Only your doctor can safely prescribe medication for you.


• Don't order medication that's not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It's illegal to import unapproved drugs into the United States. Taking an inappropriate or unsafe drug can have life-threatening consequences.


• Don't overlook the address and phone number. Steer clear of sites that don't provide a street address and phone number or that list only foreign contact information. Use only U.S. pharmacies. International pharmacies may sell drugs that do not have FDA approval or that are illegal in the United States.


• Don't succumb to false claims. Don't buy medication from sites that advertise "miracle cures" or those that use impressive terminology to disguise a lack of good science.


• Don't keep complaints quiet. If your order doesn't arrive, you find unauthorized charges on your credit card or you have another problem with an online pharmacy, report it to the FDA. Speaking up can help promote a safer marketplace for everyone.

As offered in this blog before, it is very important to be vigilant in buying any prescription medications online.

Remember, “if a deals sounds too good to be true, it probably is” is the best advice when dealing with online products. Counterfeit and fraudulent drugs permeate the web with some estimates as high as 60% of online medications as counterfeit product. Protect yourself and your family and follow these do’s and don’ts.

For more helpful tips visit: http://www.mayoclinic.com/.

To learn more about XStream Systems revolutionary anti-counterfeiting technology and solutions visit: http://www.xstreamsystems.net/.

Prescription Drugs Kill 300 Percent More Americans than Illegal Drugs

Death by prescription is on the rise. An analysis of 168,900 autopsies conducted in Florida in 2007 found that three times as many people were killed by legal drugs as by cocaine, heroin and all methamphetamines put together.

This trend is mirrored nationally as the DEA confirms that the number of people abusing prescription drugs in the United States has jumped 80 percent in six years to seven million.

While illegal drug use is down with teens, prescription abuse is on the increase. Prescriptions are often obtained without a prescription at an online pharmacy. This year, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University reported that of the 365 websites that advertise controlled substances, 85% of them do not require a doctor’s prescription.

In answer to this growing problem the senate passed the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act to curb online prescription drug trafficking, abuse, and availability. The recently passed bill amends the Controlled Substance Act by requiring face-to-face prescribing, DEA-endorsement before a pharmacy can dispense, and stiffer penalties for violators.

The bill was named after Ryan Haight, a California honors student who died from an overdose of the painkiller Vicodin he obtain over the internet by posing as a 25 year old man with chronic back pain.

We at XStream System applaud this legislature to protect our citizens and encourage consumers to purchase prescriptions only through licensed brick and mortar pharmacies or online pharmacies certified through Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS).