My last post contained some perspectives about fake medicines. That same day, the LA times ran an article about California’s long-delayed pedigree requirements for tracking prescription medicines. This law was prompted by the discovery of fake medicines for HIV/AIDS in 2000, and was intended to achieve what the FDA has been trying to implement for many years.
The LA Times article blames the delays in the state’s drug tracking system on the industry – from the manufacturer to the retail pharmacy. I suspect that the real challenge is not in the technical or cost aspects from the manufacturers – who certainly have lots to gain by stopping counterfeits of their products from being sold instead of the real thing, but from the wholesalers and to a lesser extent the pharmacies.…