Partnership for Safe Medicines Arms Public Against Counter...( Consumer protection group's new resou...),Health

Consumer protection group's new resource helps Americans cut prescription costs without compromising drug safety

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A collection of online educational materials are now available for free to consumers to help fend off the dangers of contaminated or counterfeit drugs. Unveiled today by the Partnership for Safe Medicines, "Consumer Resources" is designed to help consumers ensure the safety of their prescription drugs and includes guides on safely purchasing medicines online and how to save money without compromising drug safety.

As incidents of unscrupulous producers cutting food and medical goods with foreign, even toxic, materials become increasingly apparent across the globe, the Partnership for Safe Medicines, a coalition of organizations and individuals, is leading the effort to protect consumers from counterfeit medicines.

"Each day, innocent people unknowingly risk death or serious injury to their health by taking counterfeit drugs," said Marv D. Shepherd, Ph.D., president of the Partnership for Safe Medicines and renowned expert on drug importation and drug counterfeiting. "All across the world, we are seeing more occurrences of counterfeits involving more types of drugs in more countries. The makers of counterfeit drugs have enjoyed and profited from loopholes in our distribution system designed to deliver healthy medicines to those in need."

Available on the Partnership's Web site (www.SafeMedicines.org),"Consumer Resources" provides visitors with tips for identifying common warning signs of rogue online pharmacies, advice for recognizing when a drug is counterfeit, and counsel for making safe online drug purchases. The materials also provide practical information on how to save money on prescription drugs.

Thomas T. Kubic, president and C
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