The Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report on February 13, 2013, warning of the dangers of falsified and substandard medicines. The FDA had asked the IOM to assess the global public health implications of falsified, substandard, and counterfeit pharmaceuticals to help open national and international discussions to resolve this increasing problem.
The report encourages Congress to authorize and fund the FDA to create a drug tracking system. Until such a system is in place, the report encourages a voluntary tracking system backed by the FDA and drug manufacturers to provide a means for monitoring the chain of custody of drug products and avoid infiltration into the supply chain by counterfeit drugs.
The IOM's report follows recent warnings by the FDA concerning counterfeit batches of the cancer drug Avastin being sold by a NY-based distributor.
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