USA Today: Pharmaceutical safety questioned in wake of scheme
NASHVILLE — A Nashville drug wholesaler, Cumberland Distribution, busted for buying diabetes, blood pressure and HIV medicines on the streets of Miami and New York and then reselling the pills to pharmacies nationwide sparks an important question: Just how safe are the drugs in your medicine cabinet?
The short answer, government and pharmaceutical experts say, is they're probably safe. But consumer advocates say there's no way to tell for sure.
The United States has one of the safest distribution systems in the world. "The FDA concern, however, is that the U.S. drug supply is vulnerable to criminal activities, such as diversion and theft of legitimate drugs to drug counterfeiting," said Food and Drug Administration spokesman Chris Kelly.
That has consumer advocates and some lawmakers concerned.
Late last year, Congress passed sweeping new regulations after a meningitis outbreak caused by tainted drugs manufactured in compounding pharmacies killed 64 patients nationwide. Hundreds more were sickened by the tainted drugs.
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