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Weekly Update |
February 15, 2010 |
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Partnership for Safe
Medicines Applauds Google's Updated U.S. Pharmaceutical Advertising Policy
WASHINGTON,
DC - Feb. 10, 2010 - The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) today commended
Google for its updated policy on U.S. pharmaceutical advertising through
its paid search program, AdWords.
Toward the end of the month, Google will refine its advertising model to accept
ads only from online pharmacies in the U.S. that are accredited by the
National Association Boards of Pharmacy's Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice
Sites (VIPPS) program.
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The changes will cut out
third-party verifiers, leaving VIPPS as Google's lone online pharmacy
accreditation program for drug advertisers in the U.S. While online pharmacies from
other countries do pose a threat to consumers purchasing medicines online, PSM
acknowledges that the new requirements are a step in the right direction.
"As a group of
organizations and individuals dedicated to protecting consumers from
counterfeit medicines, we've been highly critical of search engines that have
permitted illegitimate online pharmacies to advertise fake, substandard and
unauthorized medicines," said Marv Shepherd, PhD, PSM president and director of
the Center for Pharmacoeconomic Studies at the University of Texas at Austin's
College of Pharmacy. "This is a significant step toward protecting consumers
online and thwarting the growing threat of counterfeit drugs."
PSM Vice President and
Executive Director of the Institute of Health Law Studies Bryan Liang, MD, PhD,
JD concurred saying, "Last year, we published the first study identifying the
dangers associated with online drug sellers and the limited oversight of search
engines. In addition, a later, joint study released by an online pharmacy
verification service and an internet compliance company found that 80-90
percent of search engine-sponsored advertisements of online pharmacies violated
federal and state laws, including the sale of substandard or counterfeit
drugs." Added Dr. Liang: "We've long insisted that online pharmacies be licensed
through programs like VIPPS, and we are appreciative that Google recognized the
risks of these online drug sellers through its new policy."
Tom Kubic, president of the
Pharmaceutical Security Institute and PSM partner, encouraged the other major
providers of internet search tools to follow Google's lead. "Clever
criminals will quickly adapt to these changes and move to other search engines
to peddle their unsafe medicines," said Kubic. "Only by adopting uniform strict
standards on paid advertising can we really protect unsuspecting
patients."
PSM
also noted the importance of keeping Google's amended requirements in
perspective amid many other unaddressed issues in the counterfeit drug space.
"For instance, we need to see new legislation that prohibits financial
transactions for drug sales of unlicensed pharmacies and creates criminal
penalties for Web sites, search engines and individuals who participate in the
sale of contraband or counterfeit drugs," said Liang. "Our work is far from
over."
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Top News
Michigan: MSU Announces Counterfeit
Protection Program
Michigan State
University has recently unveiled A-CAPPP, the
Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection Program, which the school is touting
as the nation's first comprehensive research and training program designed to
address counterfeiting. MSU officials said they're working with the FBI,
Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Homeland Security and the Food
and Drug Administration, among other entities, to create a database that will
track counterfeiting incidents in the U.S. dating to 2000. Among the
fakes are counterfeit pharmaceuticals in Africa and counterfeit food additives
in China.
("MSU Launches Effort to Block Knockoffs," Detroit Free Press, February
9, 2010; Story
here)
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World News
Nigeria: Government Releases Mobile Counterfeit-Detection Device
A device is
now in place in Lagos
that will enable drug consumers to determine at purchase whether a drug is
authentic or counterfeit. The system, called the Mobile Anti-Counterfeiting
Solution, works by scratching a scratch card attached to the back of a drug and
sending the number underneath to a code number or via SMS through a cell phone.
The customer immediately gets a reply stating whether the drug is genuine or
fake. Dr. Paul Orhii, Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug
Administration and Control (NAFDAC), expressed hope that many pharmaceutical
companies, importers and marketers will explore the facility to regain their
markets from counterfeit drug manufacturers. ("NAFDAC Launches Mobile Anti-Counterfeiting
Solution," Sun News, February 9, 2010; Story
here)
Uganda: Counterfeit Drugs Seized by Police
The Police
and officials from the National Drug Authority (NDA) in Iganga,
Uganda have impounded over
10 containers of counterfeit drugs smuggled from Kenya. The drugs were seized from a
boutique in Iganga town on Sunday. The counterfeits included chloroquine
phosphate injection, fansidar, quinine phosphate injection, septrine, quinine
tablets, diazepam, erythromycin tablets and grip water, and some of the drugs
were banned in Uganda.
("Fake Drugs Impounded in Iganga," New Vision, February 9, 2010; Story here)
India: Officials Shut Down Unlicensed
Pharmacies
Drug
control squads in Jagatsinghpur,
India conducted
raids on several pharmacies on Friday for running their shops without a license
and for selling duplicate and substandard medicines. Drug Inspector Mr. Sahoo
said that along with the nearly 550 licensed drug stores available to the
public in the Jagatsinghpur district, numerous unlicensed shops have begun to
pop up in more rural areas. Officials in this region are taking action against
these unlicensed drug stores and the selling of counterfeit drugs in general. ("Orissa
Drug Control Squad Seizes Six Fake Medicine Shops in Jagatsinghpur District," Orissa
Diary, February 6, 2010; Story here) | |
About the Partnership for Safe Medicines
The Partnership for Safe Medicines is a group of organizations and individuals that have policies, procedures, or programs to protect consumers from counterfeit or contraband medicines. For more information, please visit SafeMedicines.org.
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