US report urges increased attention to worldwide counterfeit medicine threat

In a recent report to US Vice President Joe Biden and the US Congress, the Counterfeit Pharmaceutical Inter-Agency Working Group, that was set up last year by the Obama Administration, has recognized that the government cannot wait for a full-blown crisis before taking action on the growing counterfeit medicine threat.

The Report is the first-ever comprehensive effort to study the impact of counterfeit medicines and offers implementation tactics involving multiple agencies, the private sector and crucial international cooperation. Leading the effort for the administration is the US Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC) Victoria Espinel.
“Whether we’re talking about a counterfeit lifestyle drug that contains dangerous chemicals or a counterfeit heart or cancer medication that contains inactive ingredients -- one counterfeit in our supply chain is too many," said Ms Espinel, noting that "this is a ticking time bomb - particularly over the Internet.”

The report details examples involving counterfeit medications, including instances when counterfeit anti-anxiety drugs sold to US consumers actually contained strong sedative agents and a cancer drug trade-marked by a US company and illegally manufactured in Asia was devoid of the critical active ingredient.