ADAP Advocacy and the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) issued a joint statement warning pharmacists that all 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 advise that pharmacies should not buy from these platforms and that any HIV medicines acquired through them should be quarantined and verified before dispensing, as patients living with HIV/AIDS are potentially being put at risk.
PSM's Executive Director, Shabbir Imber Safdar, explained that a deeply discounted HIV product bought from an unknown seller who cannot provide a pedigree qualifies as suspect even before the purchasing pharmacy receives it. The listing alone meets many of the FDA's risk criteria for illegitimacy, including deep discounts, an established pattern of fraud in the HIV drug supply chain over the last six years, unknown sellers, and incomplete transaction histories. Once received, damage to packaging often confirms that the product must be quarantined and investigated.
Online P2P marketplaces help pharmacies manage inventory but pose risks of suspicious sales. Under the Drug Supply Chain Security Act, dispensers must quarantine and investigate suspect products and report illegitimate products to the FDA and partners within 24 hours. The warning is available online at https://www.safemedicines.org/diverted-hiv-meds-on-p2p-platforms.
Brandon M. Macsata, CEO of ADAP Advocacy, highlighted 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. The organizations are strongly urging pharmacists to heed the warning and avoid exposing patients to unnecessary risks.
