Counterfeit Prescription Drugs - More Than an Online Worry

While I am sure that most people who use prescription drugs are cautious enough to know that there is an increasing risk that counterfeit drugs are a growing concern from online discount sites, but I was alarmed when I read this article which says that some of these counterfeits can actually be found int brick and mortar pharmacies, which I assume are regular stores.

It is also increasingly worrisome that these counterfeits are packaged and produced to appear legit making them difficult to identify.

www.chron.com

...In the last decade, knockoff drugs have become a massive worldwide problem. The WHO estimates that at least "10 percent of medicines available globally are counterfeits" and pose a "serious health hazard."

Phony drugs purchased from foreign Web sites are now popping up in the United States with increasing frequency. Last year, the FDA investigated 54 cases. It's no longer just "lifestyle" drugs — like treatments for obesity, baldness, and impotence — that you need to worry about.

Fake versions of the popular anti-arthritis drug Celebrex and the cholesterol drug Lipitor have also become increasingly common — with the individual packets/tablets often physically indistinguishable from the real product.

Even seemingly "legitimate" sellers have the temptation to substitute cheap look-a-likes in order to quadruple their profits....

10% seems like a big number to me.

I am posting this for the member's awareness, I do not want anyone to be harmed by these counterfeit drugs.






[edit on 11/11/2007 by JacKatMtn]