Medication safety issue brief. Counterfeit drug prevention and identification.

The U.S. drug supply is purportedly one fo the safest in the world and yet counterfeit medications do make their way to pharmacy shelves and into the hands of unsuspecting patients. The World Health Organization reports that about $35 million in counterfeit drugs are sold n the United States each year. Worldwide, between 6 percent and 10 percent of prescription drugs on the market are counterfeit, WHO estimates. The Food and Drug Administration conducted 22 investigations into counterfeit drugs in 2002 and again in 2003; that's up from an average of five investigations per year through the late 1990s. Counterfeit drugs can cause serious harm to patients, including allergic reactions, and deny them access to potentially life-saving treatments.