So you think you’re a bargain shopper, huh? Did you secretly get a rush when you had a coupon for that high-end toothpaste AND found it on sale? Most bargain shopping comes with few, if any, downsides. (Ok, so maybe you had to evict a family of angry possums from that couch you picked up in the neighbor’s trash pile, but hey – you can stand a little inconvenience for something free!) But when it comes to your health, how much are you willing to risk for a bargain? In order to off-set rising out-of-pocket healthcare costs, many consumers shop around for cheaper medications, often purchasing counterfeit pharmaceuticals through unregulated channels without even knowing it. These drugs often look exactly like their legitimate counterparts but may contain incorrect doses of the active ingredients or incorrect ingredients altogether.1 Patients looking to save a few bucks could be putting themselves at serious risk, as modified or diluted medications have potential to weaken the immune system and expedite the spread of disease.2 The issue may be more widespread than we realize though…

The Institute of Medicine released a report in February, 2013, to raise awareness of the growing problem both domestically and internationally of falsified, substandard, and counterfeit drugs, after negligent production at a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy killed 44 people.3 The report called for major reform, proposing a pharmaceutical tracking system, tighter regulations, and international standards enforcement.3 In late June, 2013, the FDA and several international regulatory agencies issued regulatory warnings against more than 9,600 websites illegally selling unapproved prescription medications to consumers, and seized over $41 million in illegal medicines worldwide.4 Not wanting to miss out on the action, congressional lawmakers drafted H.R. 1919: Safeguarding America’s Pharmaceuticals Act of 2013, which would implement a national standard of tracing requirements for all links of the pharmaceutical supply chain, such as drug manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies.1

So the bad news is that counterfeit pharmaceuticals are a widespread problem, but the good news is that regulators are taking action. On an individual level, we can all protect ourselves - the next time the bargain shopper in you is tempted to click on that flashing banner ad offering to save you money on prescription drugs, just say no.

-KB

Image credit: Images_of_Money @ Flikr

1 Ray, Sarah. "The Price of Pharmacovigilance: Surge of Counterfeit Drugs Prompts Patient Safety Discussion." Cutting Edge Information. N.p., 12 July 2013. Web. 23 July 2013.

2 Fox, Maggie. "US Report Calls for Global Enforcement against Fake Drugs." Msnbc.com. N.p., 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 23 July 2013.

3 "Countering the Problem of Falsified and Substandard Drugs." - Institute of Medicine. National Academy of Sciences, 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 23 July 2013.

4 "News & Events." FDA Takes Action to Protect Consumers from Dangerous Medicines Sold by Illegal Online Pharmacies. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 27 June 2013. Web. 23 July 2013.

We are passionate about your success. Tell us more about your regulatory and quality needs to learn about how we can help.

Book a Consultation

GLOBAL BOTTOM CTA INSTRUCTIONS:

To display custom copy instead of global copy in this section, please go to Show Global Content for Bottom CTA? toggle in the "Contents" tab to the left, toggle it off, save, and then REFRESH the page editor, the custom text will then show up and ready to be edited.

Turning the global content back on will be the same process, go to the toggle and toggle it back on, save and refresh!