Last month, the Partnership for Safe Medicines hosted its fifth Annual Interchange (PSM 2014) in Washington, D.C. Members of CSIP staff attended this event which attracted members of law enforcement, healthcare professionals, anti-counterfeiting companies, and other stakeholders, who convened to discuss the threat counterfeit medicines pose to consumers.
The following are highlights from the event:

• Dr. Marvin Shepherd, President of the Partnership for Safe Medicines, spoke about the importance of good distribution practices and what is being done to improve packaging of prescription drugs and enhance security in the supply chain.
• Dr. Tim K. Mackey, Assistant Professor, University of California, San Diego, discussed the impact counterfeit Avastin has had on efforts to protect the American public from counterfeit medications. You may also read our recent blog post for more details on counterfeit Avastin.
• Eric Dahl, PSM Board Member and retired Assistant Director of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, led a panel of experts in “How the Black Market Impacts Patients.” The presentation revealed how black market drug sellers are sending mass quantities of counterfeit drugs through customs in disguised packages. For more information, read another of our recent blog posts about how many U.S. government agencies are working to crack down on black market drug sellers.
• Libby Baney, Executive Director of our Ex-Officio Member, the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP), talked about the current state of rogue online pharmacies and efforts to curb them, including the .PHARMACY website domain initiative spearheaded by the NABP.

Read more highlights and access links to presentations at PSM 2014 on the Partnership for Safe Medicines website and check out the official hashtag #PSM2014 on Twitter.

PSM 2014 indicates how far CSIP and other stakeholders have come in the fight against rogue online pharmacies, and provides helpful resources so that individuals and organizations can continue to work together to fight counterfeit drugs online.

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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.