Operation Genuine Valor
The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center’s Government Supply Chain Investigations Unit’s (GSCIU) Operation Genuine Valor is an operation solely focused on protecting the health and safety of our nation’s veterans by ensuring that counterfeit pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and surgical supplies do not infiltrate the supply chain of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Given the rise in e-commerce and express consignment shipping, federal law enforcement have identified threats to the U.S. pharmaceutical and medical device supply chains. Operation Genuine Valor utilizes GSCIU’s expertise, extensive data sources, and collaborative approach to combat these threats.
Operation Objectives
- Identify and help resolve vulnerabilities in the VA supply chain
- Train and educate VA personnel in the identification of counterfeits
Operation Capabilities
- Whole of government approach combining the expertise of partner agencies
- Integrate and analyze interagency data sources to combat supply chain threats
- Elite law enforcement expertise to lend to training in the identification and prevention of counterfeiting
- Real-time information sharing with the National Center for Patient Safety
- Co-location with national commercial counterfeit pharmaceutical program managers
Case Study: Counterfeits in the Supply Chain
System Impacted
Counterfeit surgical staples
Event
During a procedure, several surgical staples malfunctioned, leading to the veteran entering cardiac arrest. The medical team was unable to resuscitate him.
Investigative Details
Counterfeit medical devices are often substandard to the legitimate version. They are by nature substandard, and therefore dangerous. Because counterfeits cannot function as legitimate medical devices, it is critical they be removed from the VA supply chain.
Ongoing Partnerships:
- HSI
- VA-OIG
- GSA-OIG
- CBP
- FDA
- DOD-DCIS