Helping Patients Avoid Counterfeit Drugs over the Internet

Posted on April 29, 2008

FDA has previously warned about the risks of buying drugs and other medical products over the Internet. Products bought on the Internet could be fake,sub-potent, or not approved by the FDA. They could also be counterfeit.

FDA recently discovered two different web sites selling a counterfeit version of the weight-loss drug Xenical. In one case, it actually contained another drug, and other samples contained just starch and talc. And that is just one example of the risks people take if they buy drugs over the internet.

An article in a recent issue of "Family Practice Management" gives several tips that practitioners can give to patients to help avoid counterfeit products. One is to advise patients to use only U.S. sites that are licensed by a State board of pharmacy. Some of these sites display the VIPPS seal, which stands for Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Site. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) gives the seal to Internet pharmacies that meet State licensure and other criteria.

The article also suggests advising patients to carefully compare the appearance and packaging of the medicines they buy online with the same medicine they may have gotten in the past from a conventional pharmacy. If the Internet product does not match up exactly, the patient should not use it. The suspected counterfeiting should be reported to the drug manufacturer, and to the FDA through the Medwatch system.

The article lists some of the drugs that are most susceptible to counterfeiting and points outs that counterfeiters tend to favor expensive drugs that are sold in large volume, e.g., anti-cholesterol medications. The article notes that so-called "embarrassment drugs" are widely counterfeited i.e., drugs for conditions that patients may be reluctant to discuss with their doctors. This would include drug such as Viagra, Cialis and Propecia.

Additional Information:

FDA MedWatch Safety Alert. Warning About Counterfeit Drugs From Multiple Internet Sellers. May 1, 2007.
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2007/safety07.htm#Counterfeit

FDA Website. Consumer Education: Counterfeit Medicine. January 26, 2006.
http://www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/counterfeit_text.htm

Teichman, Peter G.; MD, MPA. Helping Your Patients Avoid Counterfeit Medicines. American Academy of Family Physicians Family Practice Journal. Volume 14, Number 3. March 2007.
http://www.aafp.org/fpm/20070300/33help.html

FDA Press Release. FDA Finds Consumers Continue to Buy Potentially Risky Drugs Over the Internet. July 2, 2007.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01663.html

FDA Website. FDA Warns Companies Importing and Marketing Drugs Over the Internet that Fraudulently Claim to Prevent and Treat STDs. March 6, 2008.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01803.html