FDA to require drug tracking

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The FDA believes that radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology is the most promising way to track drugs as they move through the supply chain. However, the FDA said Friday it will hold off on requiring drug manufacturers and distributors to use the technology. The agency said it was disappointed in the lack of progress in adopting the electronic track-and-trace tags across the drug supply chain.

The prevalence of counterfeit drugs is very low, according to the agency. The most commonly counterfeited drugs include Viagra, Tamiflu, Lamisil, Cialis and Procrit.

I watched an episode of Dateline (I think it was) where the reporters went undercover to China to meet with a woman there that is/was shipping fake meds to the U.S. daily. If I remember correctly, she was shipping Viagra. These meds were making it, not only into the U.S., but into the pharmacies here.

The ironic thing to me about the whole story was that the pharmacies supposedly had zero complaints about the faked viagra not working for the customers that were taking it. I don't want to say that all Erectile Disfunction (ED) is in people's heads, but wouldn't there have been at least one complaint for it not causing a response?

From the story, it says that this law was passed 18 years ago, but is just now being enforced. How can we pass laws and keep them on the books but say, "Whoops! We're not ready to enforce that yet!"? I can see postponing it for a year, but not 18 years.

JDub

As if RFID tags couldn't be forged i don't get it, people introduce new tech which promises the world and ultimately falls short of expectations and you're still stuck with it because it's now 'lagacy' and can't be phased out because everyone's using it by then.

PS: if you don't think forged RFID tags are a problem, please tell me how you're going to discern what the fake is when all you've got is two identical boxes with the same serial number ?

My point is that the GOV tells us not to buy our meds anywhere else but here in the U.S., and only from Pharmacies, and yet they have gaps in their procedures that have let fake meds into the system.

As far as faking RFID's, I'm sure that will be quick to come into play.

Back to the original question, how can the GOV pass a law and selectively not enforce it for 18 years?

JDub