| Bloomfield,
CT 06002 |
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August
4 2005 |
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Counterfeit
thieves do not restrict their illegal activities to counterfeit
money and raiding ATM's. A new alert has been issued by the Food
and Drug Administration. It is alerting U.S. residents to the
recent recall of a batch of counterfeit "Lipitor" sold
in the United Kingdom. The medicine is used to treat high
cholesterol. The FDA says that the counterfeit Lipitor 20mg
tablets were recalled in the U.K. on July 28, 2005. I was in
London and read the report in the London Mail. According to the
FDA, health authorities in the U.K. said that initial results of
tests performed on the counterfeit drugs do not indicate that this
product poses an immediate risk to patients. However, they are
advising that patients stop taking the drug and return it to the
pharmacy where they obtained it.
U.K pharmacies are being advised to return all remaining stock of
the batch to Pfizer, Ltd., the manufacturer of Lipitor.
Consumers who purchased FDA-approved Lipitor products through
legitimate U.S. pharmacies should not have received any of these
counterfeit tablets and are not subject to the recall.
However, the FDA reports that some U.S. residents may have
obtained prescription drugs form the U.K. through on-line or
storefront operations that do not supply legitimate FDA-approved
products or state run drug importation programs that facilitate
the purchase of unapproved foreign drugs. The FDA warns that
consumers who purchased drugs through these arrangements may have
received these counterfeit products.
"Americans need to be very careful when buying drugs outside
of the U.S. drug distribution system," said FDA Commissioner
Lester M. Crawford. "The American drug supply system is in
fact a very safe one that consumers can count on."
The affected product is 20 mg. "Lipitor" and is sold in
packages of 28 topics. According to the article in the London
Mail, the drug packages are marked with batch number 00440SK1 and
an expiration date of "11 2007." The batch number can be
found on the end of the box next to the expiration date and on the
foil backing of the drug's blister pack. Legitimate U.K. LIpitor
also has this same batch number, according to U.K. health sources.
The FDA said Lipitor belongs to a class of drugs known as "statins".
In addition to Lipitor, a number of low-cost FDA approved generic
versions of these drugs are available to consumers. Consumers
interested in these options should discuss them with their
physicians.
Tips and Warnings for Consumers
The FDA warns that with hundreds of drug-dispensing Websites in
business, how can consumers tell which sites are legitimate ones,
especially when it is very easy to set up a site that is very
professional looking and promises deep discounts or a minimum of
hassles?
If you buy medical products online, be aware of the following
dangers:
- Purchasing medication from an illegal Website puts you at risk.
You may receive a contaminated or counterfeit product, the wrong
product, an incorrect dose, or no product at all.
- Taking an unsafe or inappropriate medication puts you at risk
for dangerous drug interactions and other serious health
consequences.
- Getting a prescription drug by filling out a questionnaire
without seeing a doctor poses serious health risks. A
questionnaire does not provide sufficient information for a
health-care professional to determine if that drug is for you or
safe to use.
The FDA offers tips to consumers who buy health products online.
- Check with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (www.nabp.net
or 847 698-6227 to determine whether a Website is a licensed
pharmacy in good standing.
- Don't buy from sites that offer to prescribe a prescription drug
for the first time without a physical exam, sell a prescription
drug with a prescription or sell drugs not approved by the FDA.
- Don't do business with sites that have no access to a registered
pharmacist to answer questions.
- Avoid sites that do not identify with whom you are dealing and
do not provide a U.S. address and phone number to contact if there
is a problem.
- Look for easy-to-find and understand privacy and security
problems. Don't provide any personally identifiable information
(social security number, credit card and health history).
- Don't purchase from foreign Websites at this time because
generally it will be illegal to import the drugs bought from these
sites. There is very little that the U.S. government can do if you
get ripped off.
- Be aware of sites that advertise a "new cure" for a
serious disorder or a quick cure-all for a wide range of ailments.
In summary, counterfeit medicine is fake medicine, according to
the FDA. It may be contaminated or contain the wrong or no active
ingredient. Educating consumers about the risks of counterfeit
medicine is an important part in the effort to stop counterfeits
from entering the United States drug supply.
Read about more rip-offs in my book, Don't Get Ripped Off! Get
Help! Tell It To George. |
| |
Cynthia
Bercowetz (consumreye@aol.com)
Author/Consumer Advocate
22 Oak Lane
Bloomfield, CT 06002
Phone : 860-243-2208 |
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