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Pfizer Applauds Announcement by Department of Justice
APRIL 24, 2005
A crackdown on international sales of illegal and unapproved pharmaceutical
products announced today by the U.S. Department of Justice highlights
the growing challenge of maintaining a safe and secure drug distribution
system, said Jeff Kindler, Pfizer's vice chairman and general counsel.
The federal agency informed that it has arrested 16 suspects and
seized more than $6 million as part of a multi-country effort to
address drug counterfeiting and the trafficking of illegal and unapproved
pharmaceutical products over the internet.
"Today's announcement is a major step forward in protecting
U.S. consumers from potentially harmful products," Kindler
said. "More and more often we're seeing counterfeit or otherwise
illegal medicines reaching unsuspecting patients. It's becoming
a real threat to public health that could become an even greater
problem if legislation is passed supporting the importation of
pharmaceutical products from other countries."
Kindler said, "unapproved or illegal drugs are increasingly
entering the legitimate pharmaceutical distribution system or being
sold over the internet without a doctor's prescription or oversight.
These drugs may be manufactured in unregulated settings that do
not adhere to the accurate standards required by the FDA. They may
be contaminated, stored improperly, outdated, may not work as claimed,
may contain potentially dangerous ingredients, or have no beneficial
effect at all." Pfizer has learned from its own investigations
that consumers may even receive medications that they didn't order.
Kindler said legalizing importation will not make the system safer.
It will only intensify existing problems by radically weakening
the FDA's ability to safely regulate pharmaceuticals entering the
U.S. from other countries. Predicted cost savings would not be realized
due to the dramatically increased expense of enforcement, he added.
"The sale of illegal and unapproved drugs initiates a high
profit, low risk enterprise that attracting criminals who have no
regard for the patients who are buy their products," Kindler
pointed out. "It's important that government and industry work
together to aggressively address what is growing as a very serious
health issue. The United States is known for having one of the safest
drug distribution systems in the world and we must make sure it
stays that way."
Pfizer has led the pharmaceutical industry in addressing counterfeiting
and the sale of illegal and unapproved drugs. Its efforts have included:
Ongoing
* Initiation of legal action against illegitimate online "pharmacies"
and cooperation with law enforcement agencies to block sales of
counterfeit Pfizer products.
* Coordination with government, law enforcement and other agencies
to halt the importation of pharmaceutical products and to seize
those products.
* Implementation of public education programs to inform consumers
about safely purchasing medicines over the internet.
* Promotion of internet purchases from Verified Internet Pharmacy
Practice Sites(TM) (VIPPS(R)), which are certified by the National
Association of Boards of Pharmacy(R) (NABP(R)).
* Testing of hundreds of products annually to establish their authenticity.
February 2005
* Partnered with Microsoft Corp. to file parallel lawsuits against
international pharmacy spam rings operating websites that sell,
without a prescription, illegal "generic" versions of
Viagra as well as controlled substances. The two companies filed
17 new actions against defendants involved in the sale and advertising
of potentially dangerous medications.
* Filed civil actions against two websites that allegedly promote
and sell products that are unapproved by the FDA. Pfizer also filed
10 other domain name actions.
November 2004
* Introduced a new initiative, which uses radio frequency identification
(RFID) tags that will enable wholesalers and pharmacies
to authenticate all Viagra sold in the United States.
* Worked with several organizations and industry groups to develop
standards and procedures for implementing RFID and the systems required
to sustain it.
September 2004
* Filed legal action against 18 internet sites for selling unapproved
and illegal copies of Pfizer's leading cholesterol medicine, Lipitor.
August 2004
* Filed 25 Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP)
actions against domain names using Pfizer's Viagra trademark in
an unauthorized manner to sell products that have not been approved
by the FDA. Sites shut down and domains were transferred to Pfizer.
* Launched an online public awareness advertising campaign and
resource section on http://www.viagra.com to help educate consumers
about how to avoid illegitimate websites, safely purchase genuine
Viagra online, and help minimize Viagra spam.
June 2004
* Announced the introduction of new security packaging for Viagra(R)
labels, which contained a color-shift Pfizer logo in the lower left-
hand corner of the label's center panel that changes between purple
and blue when examined from various angles.
May 2004
* Announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the
Shanghai, China, Municipal Food and Drug Administration through
which the company will provide specialized drug authentication and
anti-counterfeiting training. The program will prepare officers
to identify counterfeit pharmaceutical products and shut down operations
where they are manufactured. China is recognized as the world's
leading supplier of counterfeit drugs.
December 2003
* Placed new requirements on Pfizer's authorized wholesalers and
distributors preventing them from purchasing Pfizer medicines on
the secondary market, which has been a primary avenue for counterfeit
products entering the U.S. distribution system.
* Signed a memorandum of understanding with the Shanghai, China,
Administration for Industry and Commerce to provide drug authentication
and anti-counterfeiting training.
source:- http://i-newswire.com | 
