^®: CRE Regulatory Action of the Week

Stopping the Drug Diversion Trade

CRE is launching a major initiative to stop the drug diversion trade through improvements to the regulatory system. Drug diversion, and the intertwined crimes of adulteration and counterfeiting, is widely recognized by the federal government, state governments, industry and the media, as a growing threat to public health throughout the United States. Drug diversion occurs when prescription pharmaceuticals do not follow the proper distribution chain from manufacturer to patient. Instead, diverted pharmaceuticals pass through a complex series of transactions before being dispensed to patients or other persons. Reimportation allows additional opportunities for diversion, adulteration and counterfeiting. Congressional concern about drug diversion and the associated contamination of the nation's pharmaceutical supply was a key factor spurring passage of the Prescription Drug Marketing Act (PDMA) of 1987. However, despite this law, federal agencies have not taken all of the necessary steps to restrict the illicit trade in pharmaceuticals. As the first step in our campaign, CRE has written a white paper, Dirty Deals: The Drug Diversion Trade, How it Victimizes the Vulnerable and How to Stop It. CRE requests that interested parties:

1) Provide us with your comments on the drug diversion issues; and

2) Provide us with anecdotal information about the drug diversion trade.