E-DRUG: Repackaging medicines in pharmacies (4)
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Hello E-Drug Colleagues.
For background on counterfeit vulnerabilities in the US including the issue of repackaging, I recommend a series that ran in the Washington Post in 2003, URLs below. I checked the links; but, should you have any difficulties accessing I would be happy to forward pdfs on request.
Pharmaceutical Roulette (Five-part series by Gilbert M. Gaul and Mary Pat Flaherty, Washington Post):
"A Vast, Unregulated Shadow Market. U.S. Prescription Drug System Under Attack: Multibillion-Dollar Shadow Market Is Growing Stronger"(19 October 2003, page A01; part 1)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44908-2003Oct18.html
"How the Internet Became a Pipeline for Deadly Drugs: Internet Trafficking in Narcotics Has Surged" (20 October 2003; page A01; part 2)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50567-2003Oct19.html
"Dangerous Doctors Online: Doctors Medicate Strangers on Web" by Gilbert M. Gaul and Mary Pat Flaherty (Washington Post, 21 October 2003, page A01; part 3)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55845-2003Oct20.html
" The Shadow Market and Counterfeit Drugs. Lax System Allows Criminals To Invade the Supply Chain" (22 October 2003, page A01; part 4)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61473-2003Oct21.html
also see:
"How Drugs Get to You" (22 October 2003)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/drugsday1.htm
"A Ring of Fraud: Medicaid Is Start of Drug Resale Trail" (22 22, 2003; page A17
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61478-2003Oct21.html\]
Sarah Sellers, PharmD MPH
ssellers@jhsph.edu