Every day, law enforcement officers throughout the United States are engaged in court-authorized searches of persons, vehicles, homes, and businesses. On occasion, during these searches, officers are surprised at what they uncover. For in some of the most unlikely places, their searches have disclosed some of the most advanced medicines available: biologics, pharmaceutical products critical to the health of seriously ill citizens.

Security professionals from pharmaceutical manufacturers are concerned that little is known about the public health threat posed by counterfeit, stolen, or illegally diverted medicines. Due to many significant enforcement priorities, the authorities have been unable to commit sufficient resources to conduct crime surveys and to otherwise monitor these types of crime. Five years ago, research-based pharmaceutical manufacturers established a nonprofit organization, the Pharmaceutical Security Institute (PSI), to begin collecting data about the nature and extent of pharmaceutical crime.¹ This information is shared with law enforcement and drug regulatory authorities throughout the world with the goal of protecting public health.