Prescription Drug Marketing Act (PDMA)
Overview
Prescription drug
A prescription medication is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a medical prescription before it can be obtained. The term is used to distinguish it from over-the-counter drugs which can be obtained without a prescription...
distribution to ensure safe and effective pharmaceuticals. It's designed to discourage the sale of counterfeit
Counterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
, adulterated, misbranded, subpotent, and expired prescription drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
s. It was passed in response to the development of a wholesale sub-market (known as the "diversion market") for prescription drugs.
The PDMA was modified by the Prescription Drug Amendments of 1992 (P.L.
