FDA’s Online Opioid Summit – How Internet Stakeholders Can Proactively Reduce the Availability of Opioids Online

Posted by in Consumer Protection, Pharmacies and Pharmacists

Illustration of buying prescriptions on a mobile device.

Earlier this month, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held its third Online Opioid Summit, a day-long event convening representatives from prominent technology and social media companies, academic researchers, and experts from public health nonprofits, including NABP, to discuss ways to collaborate to reduce the availability of opioids on the internet. Introduced in […]

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Why Medicine Sold on Social Media Can Be Deadly

Posted by in Consumer Protection, Pharmacies and Pharmacists

Illustration of purchasing medicine on social media

If Charlie had known how prolific fake pills on social media were, would he still be alive? It’s a haunting question for his parents, Ed and Mary Ternan, because the answer is probably “yes.”   Had he known,  maybe he wouldn’t have taken a single pill last year, bought on social media, to relieve his back pain. He thought it was a painkiller, but instead it was a […]

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How Washington’s Response to Cyberattacks Impacts the Health Care Sector

Posted by in Consumer Protection, Technology and Data Security, State and Federal Regulatory Issues

Illustration of online security from cyber attacks

Cyberattacks targeting the nation’s critical infrastructure have become increasingly prevalent over the last few years, but, during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, attacks across all sectors have rapidly accelerated. Greater emphasis on remote work and business operations have created the “perfect storm” for cybercriminals to exploit security flaws within many organizations, especially the health […]

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National Poll Finds That Americans Are Prioritizing Cost and Convenience Over Safety When Buying Medications Online

Posted by in Consumer Protection

Illustration of unsafe shopping online for prescriptions

Online pharmacy use in America is growing, but a survey conducted by the ASOP Global Foundation suggests that Americans’ knowledge of the risks is not. In June 2021, building on a similar 2020 survey conducted by the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies, 1,500 Americans across the nation were asked about their perceptions and use of […]

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Moving Through the Pandemic Into the Future of Health Care

Posted by in Consumer Protection, Pharmacies and Pharmacists

Illustration of individuals moving into the future with new insights

NABP has a long history of partnering with health care regulatory and professional associations to protect public health, and COVID-19 kicked these collaborations into high gear. We reached out to the leaders of several of these partner organizations to share their insights from the past year and how they see the lessons learned impacting the […]

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Cyberattackers Continue to Threaten the COVID-19 Supply Chains

Posted by in Consumer Protection, Technology and Data Security

Illustration of online cyberattacks

In early December 2020, as United States and European governments readied their distribution plans in anticipation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine authorization, law enforcement agencies prepared for an onslaught of various types of criminal activity and organized crime linked to COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Similar to the predatory criminal behavior seen earlier in the pandemic, […]

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Nonprescription Insulin Scam Puts Patients at Severe Risk

Posted by in Consumer Protection, Pharmacies and Pharmacists

Graphic showing an insulin inspection

NABP’s accreditations and inspections provide a unique opportunity to observe drug safety issues from a national perspective in both pharmacy practice and drug distribution. Through the processing of accreditation applications of digital pharmacies and drug wholesale distributors, we have recently observed schemes involving nonprescription insulin that pose important health threats to patients. While these pharmacies and wholesalers cannot become NABP accredited until corrective measures have been taken and they have ceased such activities, these schemes continue to threaten patients in non-accredited facilities. We hope that creating awareness of these activities […]

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How Online Drug Dealers Exploit Social Media Algorithms

Posted by in Consumer Protection, Technology and Data Security

image indicating warning about buying medications online

This month marks one year since Charlie Ternan, a 22-year-old, soon-to-be college graduate, was found unresponsive in his room after taking what he thought to be Percocet® to alleviate his back pain. The pill was unfortunately not a legitimate pain medication but was instead a fentapill, a counterfeit drug containing the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Charlie purchased […]

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Pharmacists can help increase confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines

Posted by in Consumer Protection, Pharmacies and Pharmacists tagged with , ,

COVID-19 Vaccine graphic

Developing three vaccines against COVID-19 in a relatively short amount of time was monumental. But what might end up being equally Herculean: convincing everyone to get vaccinated. Studies show that Americans have varying levels of hesitancy about receiving a COVID-19 shot depending upon their ethnic background, geographical location, and political affiliation, among other factors. Add […]

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Internet Platform Accountability and Why it Matters to Public Health

Posted by in Consumer Protection, Technology and Data Security tagged with , ,

Graphic of buying prescription medication online

On March 25, 2021, chief executive officers (CEOs) from internet giants, including Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey, testified before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on the rise of extremism and misinformation plaguing their online platforms. Although the impetus for this hearing is the lack of action taken by […]

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