Healthcare Risk: Counterfeiting & Online Pharmacies...

Pharmaceutical companies are on the offensive along with the FDA to rid the Internet from bogus Online Pharmacies.

The continuing growth of online pharmacies provides dealers and counterfeiters with ready access to unsuspecting consumers. Since goods sold online are typically sent through the conventional mail system, they frequently by-pass national regulations for the distribution of controlled goods.

Jim Kouri's thoughts on this subject are correct:

Those Americans demanding the US government to allow citizen's access to foreign prescription drugs should heed the concerns of the world's foremost health organization. According to the World Health Organization's definition a counterfeit medicine "is one which is deliberately and fraudulently mislabelled with respect to identity and/or source. Counterfeiting can apply to both branded and generic products and counterfeit products may include products with the correct ingredients or with the wrong ingredients, without active ingredients, with insufficient active ingredients or with fake packaging."

It is estimated that one in 20 pharmaceutical products on the market is counterfeit, with the number rising to one in three in some developing countries.

Counterfeit pharmaceuticals are manufactured and distributed by criminals, companies or individuals who have the desire to make money unlawfully. They may contain too much, too little or no active ingredient, the wrong ingredients or high levels of impurities, contaminants and even toxic substances. They could be reject or out-of-date formulations withdrawn from the market which are obtained by counterfeiters, relabelled as bona fide product and introduced back into circulation. They have killed and injured thousands around the world.

The use of effective operational risk mitigation strategies for Pharma and Healthcare companies, enables the detection of illicit distribution, trademark abuse, objectionable association and counterfeit activities, that can then be countered in a highly focused manner. The outcomes can save lives and millions of dollars per year.

For a list of Certified Online Pharmacies see:
VIPPS Program

For more information on this health care risk see:
Safe Medicines