The Importance of Anti-Counterfeiting Your Products

Consumers rely on medication every day for many different health conditions. In fact, the CDC reports that nearly half of people surveyed from 2011-2014 used at least one prescription drug in the 30 days prior to the survey. Almost 80% of physician office visits, hospital outpatient visits, and emergency room visits involved drug therapy. There’s no question that the safety and efficacy of medications is critical, however, counterfeit drugs pose a real threat to the integrity of prescription medication.

What’s the Risk?

Counterfeit drugs may include medications that are:

• Laden with harmful chemicals or toxic ingredients like arsenic, lead, talcum powder, nickel, and boric acid
• Contained in false packaging
• Missing crucial active ingredients or containing the wrong amounts of active ingredients
• Manufactured with the incorrect ingredients
• Stored or shipped in unsafe conditions
• Produced under conditions that do not meet the requirements of the current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP)

Serious adverse reactions and even death have been reported as a result of counterfeit drugs. Without adequate quality control and traceability, there’s no way to ensure that a counterfeit drug is safe for a patient to take.

What’s the Law?

It is illegal to sell counterfeit drugs in the United States. However, that doesn’t stop many people from doing so. Sales of fake medications have largely taken place online by companies outside the U.S., making it difficult to track down sellers and suppliers. However, the FDA has been working to protect consumers from counterfeit medications through the Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA), which was enacted in November of 2013. Title II of this act, the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) “outlines steps to build an electronic, interoperable system to identify and trace certain prescription drugs as they are distributed in the United States. The system will also improve detection and removal of potentially dangerous drugs from the drug supply chain to protect U.S. consumers.”

Additionally, the DSCSA regulates wholesale distributors and third-party logistics providers by requiring them to provide information to the FDA on an annual basis, including proof of licensure.

Critical Roles in Anti-Counterfeiting

Many entities play a role in ensuring that medications are safe and effective for consumers across the nation.

Pharmaceutical Companies

Pharmaceutical companies can actively work to prevent drug counterfeiting by securing supplies and products through established supply chains. Companies can also support government initiatives to reduce the availability of counterfeit drugs and engage in marketing campaigns to educate consumers about the dangers of counterfeit medications.

Patients and Caregivers

Patients and caregivers also play a role in drug safety. Prescription medication should always be purchased from trusted sources, such as a reputable pharmacy. Never purchase medicines online, except from a reputable pharmacy. Free samples provided by physicians should be accepted in-person. Patients and caregivers can ask their pharmacists what their medication and its packaging should look like and should inspect each prescription to check for any changes in packaging or changes in the medicine shape, color, or numbers that may be etched or printed on the medicine. If a patient suspects that they may have received a counterfeit medication, they should contact their pharmacist immediately.

Safety and Efficacy, Always

At Eugia, our primary concern is the safety of our patients and the efficacy of the products we manufacture. We believe in providing high-quality, affordable injectable medications to physicians offices, hospitals, and pharmacies and we know that you don’t have to counterfeit a drug to reduce its cost. Our customer service team is available to answer your questions — call today for more information about our products at (888) 238-7880.