Drug Safety Articles
Fast, easy, inexpensive — and deadly? With potentially lethal counterfeit drugs flooding the online marketplace, consumers must use extreme caution when purchasing controlled substances over the Internet.
While some of the guidelines for the transportation, handling, storage and delivery of temperaturesensitive medications are basic and vague, advances in technology help to ensure these drugs are
safe and effective when they reach their site of administration.
The glut of soon-to-expire products within the pharmaceutical supply chain is a costly problem impacting multiple stakeholders, but smart technology and innovative inventory management systems offer cost-saving solutions.
New laws and policies are being enacted globally to stem the growth of counterfeit and adulterated drugs caused by increases in globalization and the supply chain complexity.
New legislation, increased education, and high-tech tracking aim to curb the proliferation of compromised and counterfeit products in the pipeline.
Counterfeits pose a threat for healthcare professionals worldwide. And, while technological advancements are being made to protect the drug supply, international regulation and politics stand in the way of fixing the problem in the foreseeable future.
The federal government, physicians and consumers all have active roles to play in reducing medication errors that so often result in adverse drug events and a high cost burden.