Part two of two
As 2014 draws to a close, it is a perfect time to reflect on the positive things that have happened over the past year. Part one of this series covered participation in Operation Pangea VII, new track and trace technology, and more. Below are additional developments that have impacted the fight against illicit pharmacies online this past year.
- International Efforts to Fight Rogue Online Pharmacies: In European countries, the EU Commission recently launched it’s own accreditation program to protect patients from falsified medicines sold online. Countries including China, India, and Dubai also intensified their law enforcement efforts when it comes to counterfeit drugs.
- FDA Began Implementation of the Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA): In an effort to detect and remove potentially dangerous drugs, including those that could be counterfeit or contaminated, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began its efforts to implement the DQSA.
- CSIP Participated in Global Forum Event: Last Spring, CSIP participated on panels at the Global Forum on Access to Safe Medicines in London. The workshops and speakers focused on ways to make access to prescription medications safer worldwide.
- CSIP member Microsoft opened the Microsoft Cybercrime Center to fight cybercrime and make the internet a safer place for consumers.
- Global Intellectual Property Summit speakers addressed counterfeit drug issues. One of the main topics of the event, touched upon by several of the speakers, was protecting the public from counterfeit and falsified medicines.
- CSIP, in partnership with the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP), released a public service announcement (PSA) in New York City’s Times Square, warning consumers to be cautious when purchasing prescription drugs online. The PSA will run until January 2015.
In addition to these exciting developments in combating counterfeit drugs online, CSIP has introduced several new resources on our website this year, including a portal to report suspicious activity, and new ways to check online pharmacies. Please continue to check our website and read our blog to keep up with the latest news and educational materials to keep yourself safe from dangerous counterfeits.
We wish you a happy, healthy, and safe holiday and look forward to more great things in 2015!
###
The Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP) and our 13 member companies have the shared goal of helping address the growing problem of consumer access to illegitimate pharmaceutical products on the Internet. Continue to read this blog for updates on CSIP’s education, enforcement and information-sharing efforts.