Hospitals are places for healing the sick and wounded, but unfortunately given their necessarily open nature they can be challenging environments to physically secure – potentially leading to additional medical emergencies.

A new medication tracking system is hoped to alleviate the gray market that thrives through diverting medications, as some hospitals and clinics (facing recent drug shortages) have turned to middle-men brokers. However, this increases the risk of counterfeit or unsafe drugs being administered to patients, FDA officials say. Counterfeit or altered medications can be diluted, inert or dangerous.

As if the retail industry hasn’t suffered enough in recent years, growing in severity, number and type, retailers are reporting that organized retail crime (ORC) has become more troublesome than ever before.

29 pharmaceutical companies are pledging money to help Interpol combat counterfeit or illegal drugs, sales of which total $430 billion a year. 

Rising prescription drug theft, especially of painkillers, lead the NYPD to implement new tracking procedures that will hopefully lead them to citywide stash locations.