Gray market pharmaceutical drugs

According to Hemphill, (2015), the high rate of drug shortages in the US has resulted in the emergence and the aggravating drug market problem. Shortages affect a large number of pharmaceuticals in the United States marketplace as the majority of the drugs that are in shortages include the generic drugs as compared to the patented drugs. Therefore, with this shortage in the US drug market, people are unable to access drugs as they are not available through the traditional drug channels and this result in the emergence of the gray markets. Even though the subject on gray markets has been there for quite a long time, contemporary participants are becoming more active and more visible with the increasing shortages. Gray markets are thus involved with the trading of stockpiled drugs by wholesalers. This activity is illegal and unauthorized by the manufacturer but it is however very much profitable since these shortages smooth the progress of price gouging. This practice of price scraping by secondary wholesalers is not doing any good to the control of the gray markets. This is because they are the large contributors to gray markets. This is unacceptable and poses serious issues for patient safety as it cannot be guaranteed that the drug products have been properly handled in a way that meets and sustains the health standards and integrity.

According to Cohen, (2014), prescription drugs have contributed greatly o the evolution of the gray market into becoming a more serious black drug market, including controlled and counterfeit drugs that are detrimental and risky to a person’s safety. Though the Food and Drug Act agency has been proactive in prosecuting these pharmacists taking part in the black market, there is still a high record of sensational arrest that makes the headline. This is a strong indication that the black market is increasing rapidly rather than decreasing. Physicians are the number one contributors to the increasing drug market cases. This is because they are the ones who are responsible for prescribing these drugs to the patients hence causing drug abuse crises. Drug manufacturers have also proved to take up a large part in causing drug shortages. This is due to the fact that they choose to under-produce some of the less profitable drugs that are regarded as life-saving so as to make more of lucrative medications. Politicians, on the other hand, have been affiliated with this problem as they are the ones responsible for creating an environment where such kind of decisions are permissible and even economically regarded as rational.

To curb this problem, pharmacies, as well as hospitals, should be in the front row in ensuring that they purchase drugs that meet the right pedigree. According to the federal laws, wholesale distributors of drugs are expected to provide to their clients a record of their distribution route indicating the route that these drugs have traveled from the time they left the manufacturer. Hence, pharmacies and hospitals ought to ensure that they obtain this record once the drugs are distributed to them and should carry out a thorough inspection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Cohen. H. E.  (2014). Black Is the New Gray in Pharmaceuticals. Retrieved from: https://www.uspharmacist.com/article/black-is-the-new-gray-in-pharmaceuticals

Hemphill. T. A. (2015). Eliminating Pharmaceutical Gray Markets. Retrieved from: https://www.realclearpolicy.com/blog/2015/07/07/eliminating_pharmaceutical_gray_markets_1356.html