The risks of counterfeit imported medicines

A recentWall Street Journal article laid out the serious concerns posed by potent, counterfeit prescription opioids pouring into the United States from China, Mexico and Canada. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and other U.S. law enforcement face a growing challenge in preventing counterfeit fentanyl from reaching the United States. Fentanyl is exponentially more powerful than morphine and heroin. Its use is generally limited to use in the management of breakthrough pain in cancer patients – but now hundreds of thousands of pills produced in China are illegally flowing into the United States through Canada and Mexico. Given that some law enforcement officers have said counterfeit fentanyl has greatly exacerbated the current opioid crisis, we cannot afford to endanger more lives thro ugh ill-conceived drug importation schemes.
Source: The Catalyst - Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Counterfeit Drugs Imported Drugs Source Type: news