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Rep. Israel, Author of Groundbreaking Legislation, Introduces Counterfeit Drugs Victim at Congressional HearingIsrael Calls Today's Flu Pandemic Warning and Congressional Hearing Reason to Pass Legislation to Protect Against Counterfeit Drugs
"Somewhere between the manufacturer and the pharmacy, Tim Fagan's medicine became the medical equivalent of a $3 bill," Israel said. "His medicine didn't belong on the drugstore shelves, it belonged in the drug store dumpster. What Americans don't know is that in between the manufacturer and pharmacy, prescription drugs can change hands up to a dozen times where they can be tainted, diluted, relabeled and counterfeited. That is why given President Bush's remarks today on the flu pandemic, today's Congressional hearing take on special significance. We must do all we can to ensure the integrity of the flu vaccine and that we have a safe and secure drug supply chain. I'm confident after today a number of my colleagues will join in the fight to pass my legislation, 'Tim Fagan's Law.'" "It is our hope and our prayer that other parents will not have to see their child suffer the way we watched Tim suffer," added Kevin Fagan. "It is clear that, with the rise of counterfeiting, that we must be more proactive in stopping the distribution of counterfeits before they reach the consumer." In 2002, after Israel's 16-year old constituent Tim Fagan underwent a liver transplant, Tim's parents purchased prescription drugs at a major pharmacy; however, the drugs they purchased, which he was injected with for weeks, turned out to be counterfeit. The current distribution system for prescription drugs has significant loopholes that allow criminals to introduce counterfeits into our drug supply that reach reputable pharmacies. Israel is introducing Kevin Fagan - the father of Tim - at a hearing before the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources, "Sick Crime: Counterfeit Drugs in the United States" immediately following the announcement of the legislation. Also testifying at the hearing will be investigative journalist Katherine Eban, the author of Dangerous Doses: How Counterfeiters Are Contaminating America's Drug Supply (Harcourt Inc.). Her book outlines for the first time the circuitous route that Tim Fagan's counterfeit medicine traveled, from a dusty Florida trailer to the back of a Miami strip club to the largest wholesaler of drugs in America to the largest pharmacy chain in America. Since the introduction of Israel's legislation in May, two of the three so-called Big Three wholesalers AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health have both pulled out of the secondary market. Additionally, CVS has announced it will not buy drugs from those that engage in the secondary market. Read more about Congressman Israel's efforts on the issue of Counterfeit Drugs. |
Washington
D.C. (11/01/05)- Washington, DC-Congressman Steve Israel (D-NY 02),
the leading congressional proponent of safeguarding the prescription
drugs system from counterfeit drugs, will join the father of a counterfeit
drugs victim, to call on Congress to pass his groundbreaking legislation
"Tim Fagan's Law." Israel's legislation, named after his constituent,
gives the FDA the authority to recall drugs; implement harsher penalties
for criminals who pawn fake medicine off on innocent consumers,
and requires paper pedigrees.