Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

[JohnR]

A segment on 60 Minutes this past Sunday covered the growing issue of counterfeit drugs. Every part of the packaging is so identical now that manufacturers have trouble distinguishing counterfeit from authentic drugs.

Check it out:
The fight against counterfeit drugs - 60 Minutes - CBS News

[bleep]

Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

That's really interesting John, thanks. To those who are scared by the "60 minutes", it's only about 15 minutes, and well worth a look.

Quite scary too.

[JohnR]

Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

Hi bleep
Tracy also discussed this in her thread and said Dr. L warned her that counterfeiters are aware of recent interest in Baclofen and increasing production of fake product.

Supply and demand. :upset:

[TracyA]

Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

This was a pretty big issue in Dr. L's mind. He's not crazy about the internet pharmacies anyway, but the counterfeit stuff has him concerned. He's especially concerned for those of us who are on a high enough dose that withdrawal would be real a problem - getting a bad batch.

[Bill Gorton]

Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

I don't have time to watch the video right now, but is it fake in the sense that it's just a placebo, or is it fake in the sense that it's a generic passed off as name-brand? There's a big difference there.

[JohnR]

Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

I read posts that say: “I wonder if I got a bad batch”, and it makes me wonder. I took a closer look at my own bottles (where’s my infrared light when I need it) and they look authentic to me but the scrip was issued in Spain and product shipped from Germany so who can say?

While I do have apprehensions, I am like others in that I do not have a doctor to treat me for this condition and in desperate times we may choose to roll the dice and take our chances.

[JohnR]

Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

Fake in that they are not authentic and may not be safe. The story covers counterfeiters making drugs in basements in Peru in unsanitary conditions and using ingredients such as paint and floor wax because they are so cheap. They’ve got the identical imprints on the pills, packaging inserts, and pharmaceutical logos – a complete package. It’s a huge business and the counterfeiters are constantly moving locations, trying to stay one step ahead.

[ignominious]

Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

My gut reaction to the video is "I had better buy my drugs from a reputable source". I think big pharma would be happy with that.

Sure there are pitfalls and problems with the way we obtain our drugs but these would be minimised in a free market.

Many of the 'comments' about the video reflect a similar cynical view.

[redhead77]

Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

Screw big pharma. They are probably behind this so they can make money. I'll watch it tonight, before I pipe in too much. It's only 15 minutes?

[redhead77]

Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

My computer can't download it. I guess I can't pipe in here at all! :upset:

[bleep]

Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

Red, try using a different browser. I use Google Chrome, for example, and it works fine.

[JohnR]

Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

I think we can all agree big pharma sucks big time. That?s a show in in itself. But the issue here is not profit but rather one of safety. It's a lot safer to buy your drugs from Rite-Aid or Walgreens than a website based in Vanuatu with a website geared towards Westerners that could be created in under an hour. I am not saying there aren?t legitimate overseas pharmacies. My message in posting the video link is that counterfeiting does exist and it is not always done in a sterile environment and can therefore be a major health concern (yes, worse than alcohol).

No one has had a questionable experience buying overseas? I have. Two years ago, one of my last Naltrexone bottles that came from India didn?t seem right, smelled weird and had me sick on the floor in the fetal position 15 minutes after I took it. The good news? I didn?t drink! Woohooo!

I still buy overseas. Why? Because I want to be cured, just like you. But it?s important to know that what you can?t see can hurt you and to know as best you can where you are obtaining your cure. Just sayin?.

[ignominious]

Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

John, I think that you raised a very good point by posting the link. I just don't think that it should be left without allocating some of the responsibility to big pharma.

You rightly repeat that the issue hear is safety not profit. I'm sure big pharma puts profit before our safety as a matter of course. There wouldn't be enough profit margin to attract criminal counterfeiters if it wasn't for the strangle hold that big pharma has over our health care. The video smacks as a call for a tightening of that stranglehold in order to protect our health and well being.

Just saying.

[JohnR]

Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

I totally get it about the pharmaceutical industry but I almost feel like that should (and probably is) a separate thread, one in which I would also like to offer my opinion (just because!)

The reason the counterfeiters are counterfeiting is not because they are fighting back against the American pharmaceutical industry, as much as we would want to be the case, but rather because they are profiting themselves from making cheaper copies which would be fine if we were talking about smart phones but this is health care. I?ve had just one negative experience in 10 years buying overseas - not bad odds really - but when I think back to that horrible episode, I still wonder what it really was that could have taken me down like that. I digress.

Your point is also well taken Ig and I agree about profit-hungry big pharma who would never want a cheap generic like baclofen to be a successful treatment. Just think how much money it would take from their greedy pockets and the rehab industry as a whole.

[Murphyx]

Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

I doubt the online pharmacy operating out of Vanuatu and shipping from India is actually getting their supplies from Peru. Far too many air miles involved. They may as well manufacture them in India...which is what they actually do. And they do it because they can't afford the prices set by the European and American pharmaceutical companies.

I think the moral of the story is to buy your drugs from India.