ADAP Advocacy and the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) have issued a joint statement warning pharmacists that all discounted HIV products bought from online, pharmacy-to-pharmacy (P2P) marketplaces fit the definition of suspect product under U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines and the Drug Supply Chain Security Act. The organizations urge pharmacies not to buy from these platforms, as any HIV medicines purchased should be considered suspect, requiring quarantine and verification before dispensing.
PSM's Executive Director, Shabbir Imber Safdar, explained that a deeply discounted HIV product bought off the internet from an unknown seller who won't provide a pedigree qualifies as suspect even before the purchasing pharmacy receives it. The listing alone meets many of the FDA's risk criteria for illegitimacy, including deep discounts, an established pattern of fraud in the HIV drug supply chain over the last six years, unknown sellers, and incomplete transaction histories. Once received, the often-observed damage to the packaging confirms that the product must be quarantined and investigated.
Online P2P marketplaces help pharmacies manage inventory but pose risks of suspicious sales. Dispensers must quarantine and investigate suspect products and report illegitimate products to the FDA and partners within 24 hours. Brandon M. Macsata, CEO of ADAP Advocacy, added that independent pharmacies have also been known to trade stock in less formal settings such as WhatsApp or Telegram, which are even more vulnerable and never advisable. He strongly urged pharmacists to heed the warning and avoid exposing patients to unnecessary risks.
The full warning issued to pharmacists is available online at https://www.safemedicines.org/diverted-hiv-meds-on-p2p-platforms.
