The Dangers of Counterfeit Drugs

October 12, 2007 (WPVI) -- Piracy and counterfeiting are well-known problems, but when the products are supposed to protect your health, the concern rises to a whole new level.

Modern-day pirates are increasingly moving into an area that could threaten your health - counterfeit drugs.

"I had a really bad headache. I came home from school and slept for 3 hours. I started vomiting," said Shawn Miller of Hamphill Township.

The Miller family knows first-hand about counterfeit products. They were among those sickened by counterfeit Colgate toothpaste last summer.

"It was scary, not knowing what was going on," said Cindy Miller.

The toothpaste, tainted with a chemical used in antifreeze, was a shocking example in an ongoing problem - fake medications and healthcare products.

Last year, phony Chinese-made copies of diabetic test strips made it onto the market.

Two years ago, federal agents seized 50 shipments of phony Tamiflu in San Francisco.

Counterfeit medicine is a shadow industry, but a lucrative one, worth 40 billion dollars a year worldwide.

"Much of this is run by crime syndicates, and the money goes to terrorists, I am told," said Dr. Albert Wertheimer of Temple University's School of Pharmacy.

He said in some poor countries, up to 60 or 70 per cent of medicines are bogus. In the United States, it may be 1 to 2 percent, but no one knows for sure. Florida seems to be one state that's been particularly hard-hit with an older population that takes many medications.

The FDA said Viagra, Tamiflu, and Procrit are the most often counterfeited drugs. In fact, some experts say half of the Viagra sold online is fake. Dr. Wertheimer said the Internet provides easy access and camouflage.

"It may have the Canadian flag, and it might say Maritime or Ontario pharmacy, but that pharmacy could be in Zimbabwe, or Bangladesh," said Dr. Wertheimer.

Some products may be complete fakes, while others may be outdated, watered down, or sub-standard.

"The manufacturer made a bad batch that was supposed to be discarded, but it ended up in the distribution system," he said.

Catalent Pharma Solutions is working on a host of high-tech ways to prevent counterfeiting. One uses an advanced form of bar codes.

"That has the capability to add what we call a unique identifier on each and every package," said Renard Jackson. Every drug package would then have its own bar code or distinctive fingerprint. Another option is radiofrequency identification with RFID tags.

"It's an electronic tag that provides an electronic license plate for a product," Jackson said.

Its kind of the same way EZ-Pass knows which car passes through the tolls. If the package is phony, the sensor knows.

Some drug stores, like Nisenholtz Pharmacy in Rhawnhurst, have stepped up their own anti-counterfeit checks.

There are drugs with tamper-resistant seals. As each prescription is being filled, a scanner checks the medication's bar code. The pills or capsules are checked against a photo of what the genuine product looks like.

Pharmacy owner Jim Reginelli urges customers to do their own checks.

"Anytime something doesn't look right, you got to call the pharmacy and verify," he said.

So what can you do to protect yourself?

Be wary of Internet pharmacies, especially those that solicit with spam emails. Experts warn there's a very good chance the drugs advertised are fakes.

Other medications sold may be expired, watered-down or part of a bad-batch that was supposed to be thrown-out, but ends up on the market.

For more information, visit any of these websites:

www.dangerouspill.com
www.fda.gov/counterfeit
www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/counterfeit/update2005.html

(Copyright 2007 by Action News and 6abc. All Rights Reserved.)

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