Linda Sánchez Joins Bipartisan Effort to Increase Penalties for Counterfeit Drugs (Nov 17 2011)

Washington, DC –Today, Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) joined U.S. Senators PatrickLeahy (D-Vt.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Michael Bennet (D-Co.), and RichardBlumenthal (D-Conn.) and Congressman Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.) to introducebipartisan, bicameral legislation to increase penalties for traffickingcounterfeit drugs. The legislation responds to recommendations made bythe U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator and the administration'sCounterfeit Pharmaceutical Inter-agency Working Group.

The Counterfeit Drug Penalty Enhancement Act will increasepenalties for the trafficking of counterfeit drugs to reflect the severity of the crime and the harm to the public. Whileit is currently illegal to introduce counterfeit drugs into interstatecommerce, the penalties are no different than those for the trafficking ofother products, such as electronics orclothing. The Counterfeit Drug Penalty Enhancement Act will targetviolators that knowingly manufacture, sell or traffic counterfeit medicines tothe United States.

"As a mother, I want to know the medications my family istaking are authentic and, most importantly, safe. The American peopledeserve to have peace of mind when they use medications," said Sánchez. "Unfortunately, massive counterfeit drug enterprisescontinue to exploit the Internet to jeopardize the public's safety and robAmerican businesses of millions of dollars in revenue. This legislationnot only holds criminals accountable, but it gives our law enforcement officersthe ability to effectively go after counterfeit drug traffickers."

"While the manufacture and sale of any counterfeit productis a serious crime, counterfeit medication poses a grave danger to publichealth that warrants a harsher punishment," said Leahy. "This legislation will raise those penalties to alevel that meets the severity of the offense. Deterring this epidemicproblem is a bipartisan effort."

"Counterfeit medicines are some of the most profitablecommodities for criminal organizations. Purchases of counterfeit drugs byunsuspecting customers are growing at alarming rates, especially over theinternet," Grassley said. "These drugs present a serious threat to the health and safety of people aroundthe world. It's important we address this threat by imposing harsherpenalties on criminals who counterfeit these medicines."

"Counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs are putting Coloradans atrisk. In some cases the medicine you take may not be effective, in othercases it may make you ill, or worse," Bennetsaid. "Right now, the penalties for producing a fake company logo on abottle of counterfeit drugs are more severe than they are for actually makingand selling a counterfeit drug. We can help prevent these drugs fromreaching hospitals, pharmacies and consumers by giving law enforcement thetools they need to crack down on these crimes."

"Counterfeit drugsthreaten the health of consumers and undermine American companies," said Blumenthal. "This legislation will enhance the penaltiesfor trafficking in these substances, helping us to crack down on the epidemicof illegal counterfeiting and ensure that our medicines remain safe andeffective."

"These illegal, unregulated, uninspected drugs create afalse sense of security among purchasers when in fact they can be extremelydangerous," Meehan said. "Not only are they a threat to public healthand safety, but as a prosecutor, I saw the hand of sophisticated criminalenterprises behind the operations. Steeper penalties will help deter thesecriminals from continuing to break our laws and put people's lives at risk."

It has been reported that counterfeit drugs result in100,000 fatalities globally each year, and account for an estimated $75 billionin annual revenue for criminal enterprises.

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