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Dietary supplements are often sold alongside over-the-counter medications, but the regulatory frameworks for these products differ substantially. Unlike over-the-counter and prescription drugs, supplements aren’t vetted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before being introduced, and their advertising is often deceptive. (Pieter A. Cohen, M.D., Jerry Avorn, M.D., and Aaron S. Kesselheim, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., 5/18)

The pharmaceutical market has become complex and dysfunctional. In the absence of federal action on the costs of prescription drugs, state legislatures continue to debate and enact policies that help policymakers understand the market problems. More recently, states have begun to take action to manage the costs of drug products through creation of prescription drug affordability boards. (Jane Horvath, 5/18)

Here in Ohio, we have seen a terrifying rise in the prevalence and use of counterfeit prescription pills being sold on the street and online. These imitation pills can look exactly like prescription drugs, but they often contain fentanyl. And there is no way to tell whether a pill purchased on the street or on the internet is safe. (Rob Portman, 5/23)

Rates of drug-overdose deaths, which had already been rising for more than two decades, have increased dramatically during the Covid-19 pandemic. Between May 2020 and April 2021, more than 100,000 people died of overdoses in the United States, a 28.5% increase from the previous year and a higher number than in any other year. The epidemic of illness and death due to substance use has also caused tremendous economic, mental, and emotional harm. Without dramatic changes in federal policy approaches to substance use, harm reduction, substance use disorder treatment, and widening social inequities, rates of drug-related deaths will most likely continue to increase. (Aneeqah H. Naeem, B.A., Corey S. Davis, J.D., M.S.P.H., and Elizabeth A. Samuels, M.D., M.P.H., M.H.S., 5/21)