#557 Counterfeit Drugs

Americans are told that that they have the safest drugs in the world. Many people assume that the FDA is protecting them from sub-standard and counterfeit medications. In reality, though, the FDA is virtually helpless against an onslaught of pricey counterfeit prescription slipping into the drug supply.
One of the best kept secrets of our drug distribution system is how easily criminals can penetrate the supply chain. We will talk with an investigative journalist about her extraordinary experience tracking criminals in Florida. We also talk with the pharmacist who helped crack the case and with the Health Care Bureau Chief of the New York Attorney General.
Guests: Katherine Eban, investigative journalist and author of Dangerous Doses: How Counterfeiters Are Contaminating America’s Drug Supply; Cesar Arias, Pharmacist, former drug inspector for the Florida Department of Health; Joseph Baker, Health Care Bureau Chief of the New York Attorney General.