ADAP Advocacy and the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) have issued a joint statement warning pharmacists that discounted HIV products purchased from online pharmacy-to-pharmacy (P2P) marketplaces meet the definition of suspect product under U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines and the Drug Supply Chain Security Act. The organizations urge pharmacies not to buy from these platforms and to consider any HIV medicines obtained through such channels as suspect, requiring quarantine and verification before dispensing. Patients living with HIV/AIDS are potentially being put at risk.
PSM's Executive Director, Shabbir Imber Safdar, emphasized that deeply discounted HIV products bought from unknown sellers without a pedigree qualify as suspect even before receipt, as the listing alone meets FDA risk criteria for illegitimacy, including deep discounts, a pattern of fraud in the HIV drug supply chain, unknown sellers, and incomplete transaction histories. Upon receipt, damage to packaging often confirms the need for quarantine and investigation.
Online P2P marketplaces assist pharmacies in managing inventory but pose risks of suspicious sales. Dispensers are required to quarantine and investigate suspect products and report illegitimate products to the FDA and partners within 24 hours. Brandon M. Macsata, CEO of ADAP Advocacy, noted that independent pharmacies have also been known to trade stock in less formal settings such as WhatsApp or Telegram, which are even more vulnerable and never advisable. He strongly urged pharmacists to heed the warning and avoid exposing patients to unnecessary risks.
The warning issued to pharmacists by ADAP Advocacy and PSM is available online at https://www.safemedicines.org/diverted-hiv-meds-on-p2p-platforms.
