You can buy pretty much anything online, from anywhere around the world. While this might be beneficial when updating your wardrobe with the latest international fashions, it presents many dangers for those looking to purchase unregulated medications from foreign distributors.

We recently spoke to Shabbir Safdar, Executive Director for The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM), a public health group committed to the safety of prescription drugs and protecting consumers against counterfeit, substandard, or otherwise unsafe medicines. With the rise of the digital age, many Americans are now purchasing their medications online from countries like Canada, without considering how access and regulations of all drugs can vary. According to Shabbir, distributors may be advertising that their medications were produced in Canada, yet more likely came from Turkey, India, China, and other countries.

For nearly 10 years, Shabbir has worked with PSM to find and eliminate criminals selling illegal drugs laced with fentanyl and other deadly synthetic substances. In this discussion, Shabbir details how pharmacists are currently combatting the distribution of counterfeit drugs by refusing to purchase medicines from an unlicensed wholesaler. He also shares personal stories of families who’ve lost children due to the consumption of unregulated medications.

Shabbir can be found on the following social media platforms:

Facebook: Shabbir Imber Safdar

LinkedIn: Shabbir Imber Safdar

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