Great job! We just passed 159,000 supporters on this petition. We will not stop until we win.

Also, yesterday an article was published written by another hero, Jeff Kronenfeld from VICE News, about the issues with medications becoming too hot and losing potency in hot vehicles. The article specifically refers to birth control, but in reality,  much of this information applies to all medications and is quite extensive. Here are a few quotes from the article:

·         “The Postal Service does not have a separate method to process/deliver prescription medications, including prescription medications that require temperature-controlled environments."

·         Room Temperature is 66-77 degrees. Some medications allow for excursions permitted to be permitted up to 59-86 degrees. Per the article, “the Arizona steak got more than 50 degrees hotter than that.”

·         "A mail carrier in Phoenix, Arizona, claimed to have cooked a steak to an internal temperature of 142 degrees Fahrenheit—medium rare."

·         "A health media spokesperson for a mail-order pharmacy claimed that the medications they ship can reach temperatures of up to 104. Although, she did not provide a source for this statistic and VICE could not confirm it with pharmaceutical experts."

·         "Heat isn’t the only problem for medications either—ultraviolet radiation, extreme cold, and varying humidity can also impact mail-order prescriptions."

Temperatures are just one of the many issues with mail-order pharmacy. I’m trying to understand; in what way is ignoring the critical issue of temperatures, not negligence or even worse. Also, at no fault of their own, some patients are not receiving their medications on time before their medications run out.

How is the fact that most medications are being shipped in only bags all year round as many are forced to mail-order pharmacy not abusive as patients don’t receive a warning that the medications that they or their child are getting ready to ingest could be ineffective or could harm them? Many are given no choice to protect life-saving medications unless they can afford to pay 100%. Few can afford to pay the full cost.

 If I knowingly put my son’s liver transplant medications in these conditions, knowing that the manufacturer and the FDA said that the medications could lose potency or become toxic, I would be criminally charged. I am certain that anyone else who wasn’t part of a billion-dollar corporation would be too. Why are they held to a different standard?

We have to fix this, & I need your help to win this.

Thank you to everyone who has shared the petition. Thank you to the heroes for sharing these stories.

Here are more ways to help!

Donate to our fundraiser to help us get to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Meeting. With the help of our supporters, we are only $350 away from meeting the goal.

Share your issues and concerns with mail-order pharmacy: loretta@uniteforsafemeds.com

Keep sharing this petition and warn others who are not being told the truth from their mail-order pharmacy.

Speak to your legislators. 

If you are in New York, Governor Cuomo holds a bill in his hand that can help patients gain control of the pharmacy options that PBMs, CVS Caremark, Optum RX, & Express Scripts have taken away for many. Please click the following link and tell Governor Cuomo to sign the bill! https://www.votervoice.net/mobile/PSSNY/Campaigns/67694/Respond

Click Here for the full link to the article referenced above.