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“Phony Pharmaceuticals” Transcript
Take a look at these two pills. Do you notice a difference between them? What about these two? Can
you see a difference here? How about these?
To the naked eye, these pills are all indistinguishable. But at a chemical level, they are very, very
different. In each case, the pill on the left is real; it will help you get better. The pill on the right is phony,
and it will not help you get better. In some cases, it might even kill you.
Katherine Eban, author of Dangerous Doses: How Counterfeiters Are Contaminating America’s Drug
Supply, explains that phony pharmaceuticals are drugs that have been diluted, drugs in which the active
ingredient has been replaced with something else, or drugs that have been relabeled to appear stronger
than they truly are. Taking a phony pharmaceutical means that you do not receive the medicine you
need to get better, and the results can be deadly.
I first became aware of the problem after my younger sister received a phony drug for her asthma last
summer. Fortunately, the error was discovered before it caused my sister any lasting harm. But I’ve
been concerned about the issue ever since, and I did a great deal of research on it for this speech. As a
result, I am convinced that we need to take action now to combat the problem of phony
pharmaceuticals. Later in my speech, I’ll share a plan with you for curbing the spread of these dangerous
drugs. But let’s start by taking a closer look at the problem.
2010 that criminals “can make more money in counterfeit drugs than in heroin.”
Given the high rewards of the counterfeit drug trade, the problem will only get worse unless we take
steps to bring it under control. The solution I propose is similar to House Resolution 2726, which is under
consideration by the U.S. Congress. There are four steps to the solution.
