Pharmaceutical Drugs- Real Or Counterfeit
The Food and Drug Administration is cautioning the public about risks related to buying prescriptions over the Internet. This alert is being issued based on information the agency collected showing that 24 allegedly related Internet sites may be involved in the dispensing of counterfeit prescriptions.
On three occasions during recent months, The Food And Drug Administration received information that counterfeit Xenical 120 mg capsules, a drug manufactured by Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. (Roche), were purchased by 3 consumers from two different Internet sites. Xenical is an FDA-approved drug utilized to assist obese individuals who meet particular weight and height requirements lose weight and retain weight loss. These capsules ordered from the website didn’t have the active ingredient orlistat. This is the active ingredient in authentic Xenical.
In fact, laboratory analysis conducted by Roche and submitted to the FDA confirmed| the laboratory annalists at Roche conducted and submitted the study to the FDA confirming that one capsule contained sibutramine, which is the active ingredient in Meridia, an FDA-approved prescriptions manufactured by Abbott Laboratories. While this product is also used to help people lose weight and maintain that loss, it is not intended for people in certain patient populations and therefore is not a substitute for other weight loss drugs.
In addition, the drug interactions profile is different between Xenical and sibutramine, as is the dosing frequency; sibutramine is administered once daily while Xenical three times daily. Other samples of drug product obtained from two of the Website orders were composed of only contained only talc and starch. According to Roche, these samples displayed a valid Roche lot number of B2306 and were labeled with an expiration date of April 2007. The proper expiration date for this lot number is actually March 2005. The two websites identified as indicated in this scam as pilspharm and brandpills.com.
Further research by FDA concluded that these websites are two of 24 websites that are posted on the pharmacycall365.com homepage under ‘websites” heading. Four of these websites previously have been identified by Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations as being associated with the distribution of counterfeit Tamiflu and counterfeit Cialis.
It seems as though these websites are being operated from outside of the United States. Consumers should be wary, if there is no way to contact the website pharmacy by telephone, if prices are dramatically lower than the competitor’s, or if no prescription from your doctor is required. FDA strongly cautions consumers about the purchase of pharmaceuticals from any of these websites which may be involved in the distribution of counterfeit drugs and continues to warn the public about buying prescription drugs online.
- CF Thompson
:: Aug.17.2008 :: Uncategorized ::
