A. R. Hermon Counterfeit Drugs in the U.S.

Counterfeit Drugs in the U.S.
Aaron R Hermon
HSC 310 Issues and Trends in Health Care
National University

A. R. Hermon Counterfeit Drugs in the U.S.
Imagine taking a medication without knowing if it’s the proper strength, if it might be contaminated with foreign substances, or even if it contains any real medicine at all. This is an issue the United States faces with counterfeit drugs. Counterfeit drugs have made their way into America's legitimate drug distribution system, making people sick, endangering lives, or at the very least, prohibiting Americans from their promise of a healthier life. Comprehending how these illegal drugs get into circulation, and how it is that individuals may be given the fraudulent drugs to take, helps us learn how to prevent being harmed by them.
“A counterfeit medicine is one that has been deliberately and fraudulently produced and/or mislabeled with respect to identity and/or source to make it appear to be a genuine product. Counterfeit products include drugs with no active ingredient, drugs that are super potent, and drugs with dangerous impurities” (PSI-Inc., 2004). Counterfeit drugs in the U.S. emerged in the 1980’s, at the time foreign medicines were allowed into U.S. distribution system, countless women were getting pregnant while taking birth control. Subsequently it was exposed that women were consuming counterfeit pills originating from overseas.
Several ways a drug may be counterfeit. It may be contaminated or contain the wrong or no active ingredient. They could have the right active ingredient but at the wrong dose. These medicines are then packaged and labeled to look like real brand-name and generic drugs.
Multiple elements have contributed to drug counterfeiting. These contribution vary from, the growing involvement in the drug supply chain (under-regulated wholesalers and repackagers), the conception of Internet pharmacies, advancements in technology (ease to make counterfeit drugs), and the increased importation of drugs from foreign countries. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) works with other agencies and the private sector to help protect the nation's drug supply from the threat of counterfeits.
A. R. Hermon Counterfeit Drugs in the U.S.
With the introduction of the worldwide web, criminal networks around the world have become increasingly sophisticated, taking advantage of millions of patients everywhere by selling cheap counterfeit drugs on Internet sites. Crooked online pharmacy sites pose as a means for dangerous and unapproved counterfeit drugs that unsuspecting consumers can buy, even without a legal prescription. There are currently thousands of these illegal sites, and only three percent of the sites turn out to be in compliance with pharmacy laws and practice standards. Consumers should avoid; sites that are located outside of the United States, sites that don’t indicate any physical address, sites that don’t have a license by the relevant state board of pharmacy, sites without a licensed pharmacist to answer questions, and sites that do not require a prescription (NAHP, nd).
Individuals who want to purchase drugs over the Internet must look for websites that have the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) seal. These sites are licensed to sell FDA-approved medications. Currently there are approximatley 30 online pharmacy sites that are accredited under this program.
The FDA cannot ensure the safety and effectiveness of products that are not FDA-approved and come from unknown sources and foreign locations, or that may not have been manufactured under proper conditions. These unknowns put patient’s health at risk