SPRINGFIELD, Ill., April 18 (UPI) -- The Illinois Pharmacists Association is praising a report by a group led by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani warning of the dangers of imported drugs.
Giuliani Partners found nearly 90 percent of suspected drug packages randomly examined at JFK Airport mail facilities contained prescription medicines not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The report, "Examination and Assessment of Prescription Drug Importation from Foreign Sources to the United States," concluded importation of prescription drugs from foreign countries poses a serious safety risk because of the prevalence of counterfeit medicines entering the country.
"The latest findings reinforce the dangers associated with drug importation," said Mike Patton, executive director of the Illinois Pharmacy Association.
Only 1 percent to 2 percent of the packages received daily were inspected.
"We should not contemplate opening our borders to threats to our medicine supply when in all other aspects we are searching for ways to tighten the security of our borders," Giuliani said.
