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| Weekly Update |
March 29, 2010 |
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Yahoo Fails to Address
Counterfeit Drugs in Remarks to FDA
At the end of February, the
Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) answered the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration's (FDA) call for comments on their docket concerning the Promotion of FDA-Regulated Medical Products Using the
Internet and Social Media Tools.
We submitted our
recommendations on the tail of Google's
change to its online advertising policies, requiring online pharmacies in
the U.S.
to be accredited by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy's Verifiable
Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) program. The changes cut out
third-party verifiers like PharmacyChecker, leaving VIPPS as the lone online
pharmacy accreditation program for drug advertisers in the U.S.
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We had hoped that following
Google's announcement, as well as the FDA spotlight on how drug sellers
interact with users on the Internet, other search engines would follow Google's
lead.
However, we were
disappointed to find that Yahoo failed to address the threat of unscrupulous
advertisers using Yahoo's service to peddle counterfeit and illicit medical
products.
This is particularly
disconcerting as a recent investigation of Yahoo
and Microsoft's online drug advertising found that 80-90 percent of reviewed ads from drug sellers
did not require a prescription or were acting unlawfully.
Instead, Yahoo chiefly
centered its remarks around product safety information listed in Web-based
advertisements and limitations on policing and verifying the legitimacy of
user-generated content on social networking sites.
But the
conversation about the promotion of pharmaceuticals online is incomplete unless
you address the need for regulation of Internet drug sellers-including online
pharmacies-and advertisements from illicit advertisers and the search engine
companies profiting from them.
As Yahoo wrote, "each
month, 91 million Americans use the Internet to access health information at
over 1,700 dedicated health sites," and consumers need to be
"provided with health-related information in a manner that is truthful and
balanced."
We couldn't agree more.
However, that information-including advertisements for prescription drugs and
medical products-should be safe and trustworthy, as well.
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Top News
US: Baltimore Used as
Waypoint in Counterfeit Trade
An
international counterfeiting ring smuggled tens of millions of dollars worth of
fake Coach handbags, Nike sneakers, Gucci shoes and Cartier watches into the United States though the Port of Baltimore,
federal authorities charged Friday in announcing the indictment of the ring's
members. Authorities said the ring planned to expand to counterfeit drugs next.
The Maryland
business, which purported to import and export products without paying taxes
and customs duties, was actually part of the government's undercover operation.
Three New Yorkers were indicted, along with several Chinese. ("International Smuggling
Ring used Baltimore as Entry to U.S., Authorities Say," Washington Post, March 19,
2010; Story
here)
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World News
US:
Doctors Asked to Stop Use of the Rotarix Vaccine Due to Contamination
Officials
at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told doctors to temporarily stop
using Rotarix, a vaccine commonly used to protect children from the stomach bug
rotavirus, because it is contaminated with traces of another virus. The
contaminant, called PCV-1, is a DNA virus that infects pigs and other species
but has not been known to cause illness in humans. The FDA, however, is not
taking chances and after consulting with scientists at the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and other departments decided to pause use of the drug
to try and determine what this virus was doing in the vaccine and how it got
there. ("FDA Asks Doctors to Temporarily Halt Use of Rotarix Vaccine," The Washington post,
March 23, 2010; Story
here)
India: Officials Strengthen Action against
Counterfeit Drug Makers
In an
effort to eliminate illegal drug trade across Tamil Nadu, India, Chief
Minister Karunanidhi instructed senior health and police officials to take
severe action against those involved in the manufacture and distribution of
expired and counterfeit drugs. The push comes following the demise of a
three-year-old girl in the city after she comsumed an expired drug.
Manufacturing and trading in substandard and counterfeit drugs continue to pose
a major threat to public health, and Karunanidhi expressed the urgent need to
raise public awareness on the issue. ("Karunanidhi Urges Tougher Action
against Spurious Drug Makers," The Med Guru, March 24, 2010; Story
here)
Czech Republic: Customs Officials Intercept
Counterfeit Lifestyle Drugs
According
to Czech customs, officials have seized over 5000 tablets of counterfeit drugs
for treating lifestyle performance issues. The intercepted parcel originated in
India
and is the largest consignment of this kind in several years, General Customs
Directorate spokesman Jiri Bartak announced this week. The counterfeits were
discovered at a post office in Prague
and were being sent to a Czech recipient. Customs officers seized some 7500
pieces of counterfeit medicines all last year and some 914 since January of
this year. ("Czech Customs Officers Seize Counterfeit [Lifestyle Drugs] from India," Prague
Daily Monitor, March 25, 2010; Story
here)
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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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