Protecting Consumers from Counterfeit Drugs

摘要

Drug counterfeiting has been relatively rare in the US, but the practice has increased in recent years. The FDA has stepped up its efforts to halt drug counterfeiting and has issued a report highlighting critical elements that will help keep the US drug supply safe and secure. Based on the work of the FDA's Counterfeit Drug Task Force, the report is part of an initiative to include manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, pharmacists, consumer groups, and other stakeholders in the fight against counterfeiters.The FDA conducted an average of 5 counterfeit drug investigations per year through the late 1990s, but that number has risen to >20 per year since 2000. In 2003, the FDA investigated counterfeiting of the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor (atorvastatin) and Procrit (epoetin alfa), an anemia treatment used in people who have cancer and AIDS.