Package thefts, a prevalent issue that often escalates during the December holiday season, occasionally involve prescription medications, creating significant challenges for patients and their families. A recent incident in Charlotte, North Carolina, highlighted the difficulties in replacing vital medications stolen from residential porches, ultimately leading to a resolution facilitated by public reporting. Industry experts and pharmacy services offer insights into the scope of package theft and provide strategies for prevention and response.
Overview of Package Theft Trends
December is consistently identified as a period with the highest volume of package deliveries, which correlates with an increase in reported package theft incidents. The expansion of e-commerce, particularly since the pandemic, has further amplified the overall number of packages in transit.
Comprehensive data on package theft, including the specific proportion involving prescription medications, is challenging to compile. Ben Stickle, a professor of criminal justice administration at Middle Tennessee University, notes that data collection is complicated by the involvement of multiple companies and individuals in the delivery process, along with fragmented reporting mechanisms. Reports of theft are often submitted to disparate entities that do not share information, and some incidents remain unreported by victims.
Security research company SafeWise estimates that approximately 250,000 packages are stolen daily. A United States Postal Service report from 2024 estimated that at least 58 million packages were stolen that year. The exact number of these thefts that contain prescription medications is not precisely known.
Specific Incident in Charlotte, North Carolina
During a recent holiday season, an 8-year-old named Ethan, diagnosed with the rare genetic disorder Syngap1, had a package containing his prescription medication, Epidiolex, stolen from his family's front porch in Charlotte, N.C. Ethan relies on Epidiolex to manage seizures that can cause sudden falls. The stolen medication was valued at $1,800. The theft was confirmed by footage captured on a Ring doorbell camera.
Challenges in Medication Replacement
Following the discovery of the theft, Ethan's mother, Carmen Peterson, contacted Liviniti Pharmacy, her insurer's pharmacy, regarding a replacement. Liviniti Pharmacy initially denied the request for a replacement prescription. Citing patient privacy laws, Liviniti Pharmacy declined to comment on the specifics of the Peterson family's experience.
Carmen Peterson subsequently reported the incident publicly and engaged with local news outlets to bring attention to the situation.
Resolution and Future Recommendations
Within a week of the incident gaining public attention, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Epidiolex, provided a replacement prescription.
Based on this experience, the Peterson family now recommends that individuals arrange for important medications to be delivered to alternative secure locations, such as P.O. boxes, workplaces, or through direct pickup from a pharmacy, to mitigate future theft risks.
Prevention Strategies and Pharmacy Responses
Experts and pharmacy services recommend several strategies to reduce the risk of package theft:
- Scheduling deliveries for times when a recipient is known to be home.
- Designating a discreet or hidden delivery spot that is not visible from the street.
- Utilizing secured porch lockers, or even unlocked lockers, to conceal packages from public view.
Mail-order pharmacy companies, including Express Scripts, Optum Rx, and CVS Caremark, indicate that instances of medication theft are infrequent. CVS Caremark offers package tracking services to its customers. Walgreens also provides order tracking, uses discreet packaging for prescriptions, and offers customers the option to require a signature upon delivery for their medications.
Stryker Awtry, Director of Loss Prevention and Transformation for Optum Pharmacy, advises customers whose medication has been stolen to immediately contact the dispensing pharmacy, their prescribing physician, and local law enforcement agencies.