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Some Wholesalers Are a Weak Link in a Dangerous Chain

Brian Vastag

JAMA. 2003;290:1015-1016.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

It is one horror story of many: A father injects his son with human growth hormone, then discovers after the child complains of burning that the vials contain inexpensive insulin. Investigators traced the vials, which the father had purchased at a pharmacy in Orlando, Fla, to a large wholesaler. That wholesaler had acquired the ostensible growth hormone only after the shipment had been handled by three smaller distributors.

A US Customs Canine Enforcement Team working at an airport inspects international mail for illegal and possibly bogus medications purchased over the Internet. (Photo credit: James Tourtellotte/US Customs and Border Protection)

The originating company in this dangerous chain held no valid license, but because it had claimed to be an authorized distributor—that is, one that receives batches of pharmaceuticals directly from the manufacturer—it was under no obligation to identify the source of the drug. According to a Florida grand jury, . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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