U.S. must do more to protect integrity of pharmaceuticals

The business of counterfeit prescription drugs "has grown to frightening proportions," and the U.S. must do more to "protect the integrity of pharmaceuticals dispensed" in the nation, Henry Miller, a physician and Hoover Institution fellow, writes in a Washington Times opinion piece.

According to Miller, "it appears something on the order of 10% of the world's drug supply is counterfeit" -- a category that includes "products that are completely fake" and those that are "tampered with, contaminated, diluted, repackaged or mislabeled in a way that misrepresents the contents, dosage, origin or expiration date."

In response, Miller recommends that Congress "increase the penalties for drug counterfeiting" and that FDA "more aggressively enforce regulations that require documentation of the 'pedigree'" of prescription drugs as they move through the distribution chain.

He also recommends the use of new "track-and-trace technologies" to track prescription drugs and the development of new "authentication technologies," such as holograms and ultraviolet and forensic tags, "to make it more difficult for counterfeiters to imitate legitimate drugs."

In addition, Miller recommends that consumers use only online pharmacies on a list from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and remain "vigilant for anything amiss in any prescription drug obtained anywhere -- unusual color, texture, markings or packaging and, when feasible, for any differences in effectiveness or side effects."

He concludes, "Individually and collectively, we must assign a high priority to combating fraud in drug distribution and sale" (Miller, Washington Times, 10/5).