United States Pharmacopeial Convention Joins Anti-Counterfeiting Campaign

Citing a global health crisis permeating an international marketplace, United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) announced that it would be joining the Fight the Fakes campaign, a collaboration among several health organizations that aims to “help protect people from fake medicines,” according to a USP press release. The Fight the Fakes campaign seeks to build a global partnership between health care organizations and individuals in order to highlight the impact that counterfeit medications have on global health. The campaign seeks to raise awareness and mobilize other organizations to address this growing issue.

To help protect patients in the US from counterfeit, adulterated, and substandard drugs, NABP and the state boards of pharmacy established the Verified-Accredited Wholesale Distributors^® (VAWD^®) program in 2004 and the initiative received the support of FDA. Since its launch, over 540 facilities across the country have become VAWD accredited. Of the 21 states that recognize VAWD, Indiana, North Dakota, and Wyoming require VAWD accreditation as a component of licensure. The role of VAWD in helping to protect US patients from counterfeit and substandard drugs has been highlighted by the Institute of Medicine, which, in a report on counterfeit drugs, recommended that all state boards of pharmacy should require VAWD accreditation as a requisite for licensure. More information about the VAWD program is available in the Programs section of the NABP Web site.