Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, the Association for Safe Online Pharmacies, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, Crimestoppers, LAPD, Homeland Security, HALT, The National Intellectual Property Rights Center, and actor Danny Trejo came together on Dec. 14 to bring awareness on counterfeit medicines that kill people daily.

According to the effort to raise awareness of counterfeit pharmaceuticals, these drugs are an ongoing problem, and everything must be done to protect the lives that are affected. The message that needs to be conveyed to the public is, “Bad Meds Kill Real People.”

“We want to encourage community members to make better decisions when buying their pharmaceuticals and to ensure they buy from legitimate sources to guarantee that the medicines they receive are authentic,” said Lunda. “In the last few years, counterfeit pharmaceuticals are increasingly prevalent and profitable. The counterfeit pharma industry is worth more than $200 billion annually and growing. Counterfeiters produce versions of all types of medicines.

These drugs may contain no active ingredient, harmful ingredients, the wrong drug, the incorrect concentration, or the wrong dose. All these scenarios place patients at risk for treatment failure, harmful side effects, and dangerous drug interactions including death.”

A Public Service Announcement starring Danny Trejo was created to connect with the public and spread awareness of counterfeit medicine’s dangers.

Alliance of Safe Online Pharmacies provided information during forensic lab testing revealing that four of every ten counterfeit pills contain a potentially lethal dose of harmful ingredients. In fact, according to The World Health Organization, more than one million deaths occur annually from counterfeit or substandard medicine and drugs. With the COVID-19 pandemic driving more than half of American consumers to purchase medicine online and 95% of the world’s 35,000 online pharmacies operating illegally, the risk of receiving “Bad Meds” is more significant than ever.
Danny Trejo expressed how honored he is to work for this campaign to reach out to the public and educate the dangers of counterfeit medicines.

“Kids are playing with Russian roulette,” said Trejo.

Matt Capelouto, the father of 20-year-old Alexandra Capelouto, explained that his daughter was a smart young lady whose intention was to help people. She was killed by counterfeit medication to help with her depression.

“My daughter was seeking relief, not death,” said Capelouto.

Eddy Wong from Homeland security Investigations described how the fake medication is transported to our country, Los Angeles being the main epicenter for the distribution of counterfeit medicine “at an alarming rate.”

Captain Al Lopez from Los Angeles Police Department described how the Hispanic communities are affected by counterfeit medication during the Flu, COVID, and RSV season. “Its important to bring light to this growing problem.”

All the participants in this campaign have worked endless hours to bring awareness to this growing crisis affecting our communities, especially the children.

In conclusion, this campaign is to educate everyone that “Bad meds kill real people.”

If you have any information to report counterfeit pharmaceuticals and to view the PSA, please click on the link.