Upon the passage of bill A-5037 by the full Assembly Thursday, 75-0-1, Assembly Democrats Eliana Pintor Marin, Shanique Speight and Valerie Vainieri Huttle released the following statements on their legislation to increase penalties for counterfeit medical drugs and devices:
“Anyone who knowingly creates or distributes a counterfeit medical product is willfully putting the health and wellbeing of patients on the line,” said Pintor Marin (D- Essex). “This legislation emphasizes just how serious this issue is by establishing appropriately significant penalties for violators.”
“Counterfeit medicines and medical devices can cause a lot of harm to both patients and communities as a whole,” said Speight (D- Essex). “Not only do fake and substandard products fail to have the desired result, but they can lead to the spread of drug-resistant infections and facilitate tragically preventable deaths.”
“It is our goal to send a very clear message with this bill to anyone who would disregard important medical regulations,” said Vainieri Huttle. “Any benefits you think you can receive from selling counterfeit products will not outweigh the professional and financial consequences of your dangerously irresponsible actions.”