Counterfeit Medicines & Drug Importation: Impact on Bioscience Innovation

Missed it? Watch the recording of this program on our YouTube Channel.

Please join us for a Lunch & Learn presentation on the ways in which innovation in scientific research is impacted by the illicit distribution of counterfeit medicines in the United States and the wholesale importation of medications from other nations. 

For nearly twenty years people have suggested bulk exporting Canada’s drug supply to the U.S. to address problems in the U.S. healthcare system. These policies can have significant impacts on the future of innovation and our ability to keep our medicine supply safe.  During this Lunch & Learn, U.S. and Canadian experts will offer insights into state policy proposals that would allow for the wholesale importation of medicines from Canada, the workability of these proposals and the current processes in place that ensure access to safe medications. 

About the Speakers:
Shabbir Imber Safdar, Dani Peters, and Lev J. Kubiak

Shabbir Imber Safdar has been at the Partnership for Safe Medicines for over a decade and was tapped to lead it in 2017. The Partnership, founded in 2003, is a not for profit focused entirely on researching the danger of counterfeit drugs in America and educating the public about how to stay safe from them. Shabbir is passionate about patient safety and the dangers of counterfeits, having seen them firsthand the dangers of counterfeits in countries around the world where a closed, secure drug supply chain doesn’t exist.

Dani Peters is President of Magnet Strategy Group, a consulting firm that manages public affairs strategies in Canada and the United States. Dani serves as a Principal Advisor to the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies in Canada. The Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies is a global non-profit organization dedicated to combating illegal online pharmacies and falsified medicines to make the internet safer for consumers worldwide.

Prior to founding Magnet Strategy Group, Dani held senior roles in public affairs firms in the U.S. and Canada, concentrating on fields that include innovation, health and life sciences. Dani is also co-founder of the Cross-Border Health Foundation, an organization that fosters dialogue between Canada and the United States around common health priorities.

Lev J. Kubiak is Vice President and Chief Security Officer for Pfizer globally. He oversees Pfizer’s security resources whose mission is defined by three pillars:

1. Product Integrity for Patient Safety
2. Fraud and Asset Recovery
3. Colleague and Site Security

Lev joined Pfizer in 2016 after 23 years in the Department of Homeland Security where he directed HSI’s International Operations, leading over 400 law enforcement personnel operating in 66 offices in 47 countries from 2014-2016. From 2011-2014, he was the Director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, the US Government’s task force on intellectual property and trade crime.

Thank you to PhRMA for sponsoring this event. Missed it? Watch the recording of this program on our YouTube Channel.