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The Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP) praised the Obama Administration's continued efforts in confronting the threat of illegal Internet drug sellers, as a new report on the subject was released during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in Washington, D.C., ASOP reported in its release, "ASOP Applauds Federal Report Addressing Scourge of Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals."
The Counterfeit Pharmaceutical Inter-agency Working Group Report is the first-ever comprehensive effort to study the impact of counterfeit medicines and offer implementation tactics involving multiple agencies, the private sector and crucial international cooperation. Leading the effort for the administration is the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC) Victoria Espinel.
The report details examples involving counterfeit medications, including instances when counterfeit anti-anxiety drugs sold to U.S. consumers actually contained strong sedative agents and a cancer drug trademarked by a U.S. company and illegally manufactured in Asia were devoid of the critical active ingredient.
"The IPEC's tenacity and effectiveness to achieve substantive and meaningful actions that can reduce the risks to life and health is commendable and exactly what is needed," Libby Baney, Vice President at B&D Consulting who counsels ASOP, said in the release.
Recent research funded by ASOP and conducted by The Partnership at DrugFree.org found that 1 in 6 Americans had purchased prescription medication via the Internet without a valid prescription. That means more than 36 million Americans had the potential to be exposed to counterfeit drugs.
"The report is another demonstration of the federal government's clear commitment to addressing the growing threat to public health caused by counterfeit pharmaceuticals," Baney added. "ASOP applauds the Obama Administration for leading the way to improved patient safety through coordinated public and private action against illegal online drug sellers."
