Persuasive Essay On Counterfeits

One might assume that counterfeit pharmaceuticals wouldn’t pose as such a large problem due to stringent government programs such as the FDA. But, unfortunately, these drugs sneak under the FDA radar and aren’t regulated in the slightest. The FDA is the Food and Drug Administration and it is responsible for monitoring the safety, efficacy, quality and security of a variety of products distributed across America and other US territories. Their aim as an organization is to inform and educate about safety and efficacy and make sure people are aware of the regulations imposed on the everyday products that are being used. The FDA covers a broad range of products. Some examples include biologics, food, with the exception of meat, poultry and …show more content…
People are uneducated about the topic and they need to realize that this is a problem that could affect anyone that deals with online pharmacies. There are possibilities of having international collaboration and a counterfeit alert network to further raise awareness of suspicious activity and hopefully put an end to this issue. Pfizer, a large pharmaceutical company, has suggested that there needs to be more a financial commitment from the FDA. With an increased budget, you can increase inspections of counterfeits to enforce GMP’s and maintain the integrity of the pharmaceutical industry. Lastly, Pfizer also suggested using RFID tags. These are radio frequency identification tags that they use within their company. The tag acts as a tracking device for pharmacies and wholesalers. It is placed on the product packaging as a unique product code that is specific to Pfizer and specific to that particular drug. If the packaging is missing this RFID tag, it is a counterfeit and should not be used. Currently. Pfizer is the first company to use such comprehensive packaging to verify the authenticity of their products. More pharmaceutical companies should use these tags to deter counterfeits from entering the