Counterfeit and Diverted Drugs Threaten Public Health and Waste State Dollars, Report No. 03-18, February 2003
 

Counterfeit and diverted drugs are a growing problem in Florida and threaten public health and waste government resources. Regulators estimate that the problem costs Florida millions of dollars annually. Counterfeit and diverted drug cases in Florida’s prescription drug wholesale industry have risen in recent years, and several Florida permitted drug wholesalers are under active investigation. Current state law does not provide adequate controls over wholesale drug market practices, and current administrative and criminal penalties fail to provide an adequate deterrent.

We recommend that the Legislature

• clarify state law requiring drug pedigree papers to track drugs back to manufacturers and direct the Department of Health to enforce provisions of Florida law;
• strengthen the drug wholesale permitting process; and
• increase administrative and criminal penalties for prescription drug violations.

Which Government Program Summaries contain related information?

Community Public Health
Department of Health (DOH)

What other OPPAGA-related materials are available?

• Report No. 05-49 Progress Report: Legislature Strengthens Pedigree Paper, Wholesaler Permit Requirements to Better Ensure Safe Prescription Drugs, published in October 2005.
• Report No. 03-71 Justification Review: State Faces Challenges to Improving Community Public Health in Florida, published in December 2003.

Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by telephone (850/488-0021), by FAX (850/487-9213), in person, or by mail (OPPAGA Report Production, Claude Pepper Building, Room 312, 111 W. Madison St., Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475).
e-mail address: oppaga@oppaga.fl.gov