Black market IUD market profiled by PSM

Hundreds of women in the US are thought to have been implanted with intrauterine devices for contraception that could place their health at risk, according to a new report.

The analysis - published by the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) and covering a period between 2009 and 2013 - reveals that 35 doctors in the US have been prosecuted for implanting unapproved and untested IUDs into women, often sourcing the products from rogue online pharmacies and overseas markets such as Mexico.

Aside from the health implications of the practice the physicians also defrauded Medicare to the tune of around $1m by billing the national health insurance system for genuine, FDA-approved devices.

The report cites research from 2012 which found that in some cases illicit online pharmacies were “selling IUDs and teaching self-insertion with cartoons on YouTube.”

PSM recommends that healthcare providers only source IUDs from wholesale distributors that are licensed in the US, noting that these can be identified on the FDA’s website.

Meanwhile, patients receiving treatments in medical offices should ask their doctors to see the packaging of the medicine and any device involved in the treatment, checking for example that the language in the label is in English and the package is in good condition.