Primetime News Program Educates Viewers on the Growing Threat of Counterfeit Drugs

March 25, 2011 4:26 pm Topics: Counterfeit drugs and Buying medicine online

Government officials and other security experts shared information on the growing threat of counterfeit pharmaceuticals in a CBS 60 Minutes segment that aired March 13, 2011. Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, commissioner of Food and Drugs, discussed the regulation challenges involved in securing the increasingly globalized drug supply chain, as many pharmaceuticals in the legitimate United States drug supply chain are manufactured overseas, or are produced with ingredients that are manufactured overseas. Kumar Kibble, deputy director, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, illustrated for viewers the deceptive appearance of rogue Internet drug sites and stressed the safety issues with drugs ordered through such sites. Kibble advised consumers purchasing medications online to be careful, and to make sure the Internet pharmacy is VIPPS^® (Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites^CM)- accredited. Other security experts gave an inside look at a counterfeit drug investigation that led to the bust of one counterfeit drug manufacturing site in Peru.