Johnson & Johnson recently discovered fake diabetes test strips in India – these strips were found in their ongoing worldwide effort to eradicate counterfeit and tampered products.

Johnson & Johnson suspects the strips were made in China and repackaged in counterfeit packaging in India (a whole production).

The good news for American consumers is that Johnson & Johnson has seen no evidence of fake OneTouch strips in the U.S. over the past three years; however, counterfeits continue to periodically crop up in other countries, including Egypt last year and Pakistan in 2009.

How can you, as a consumer, protect yourself from tampered products and medications?
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the FDA provide great resources for consumers.

Some of their tips include:

• Read the label. Be alert to the tamper-evident features on the package before you open it. These features are described on the label.
• Inspect the outer packaging for signs of tampering before you buy a product.
• Examine the medicine itself before taking it. Check for capsules or tablets that differ from the others that are enclosed. Do not use medicine from packages with tears, cuts, or other imperfections.
• Never take medicine in the dark.
• Examine the label and the medicine every time you take it or give it to someone else.
• Tell somebody if the product doesn’t look right. Do not buy or use medicine that looks suspicious. Always tell the store manager about questionable products so that they can be removed.
• Before buying any medicine, you should stop and take a look. Before taking it, you should look again.

Ensuring Safe Use of Medicine

Thanks for reading!

Your healthcare resource – Rebecca Busch

Text messages to combat counterfeit drugs:

In Africa, counterfeit drugs are a growing health concern. Some estimates say that nearly 50% of the drug supply is counterfeit. What is one way to combat this growing epidemic? Text messages. That’s right, African’s can submit a verification code hidden in the medicines packaging and submit it to a service to verify whether it is authentic. This pedigree system puts the power back into patient’s hands.

Medicine supply chain breach – worst ever

A British man was found guilty and sentenced to eight years for his involvement in a scheme known as Operation Singapore, which centered on the importation of more than two million doses of counterfeit life-saving medicines into the country.

More than half of these were captured by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, but a huge amount – almost 900,000 doses – initially reached pharmacies and patients.

Despite an immediate recall of the drugs Zyprexa (olanzapine), Plavix (clopidogrel) and, Casodex (bicalutamide), 700,000 doses were left unaccounted for, putting the health of consumers in jeopardy.

Fake drugs are threatening public health

Consumers look to the FDA and the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to prevent counterfeit drugs from breaching the system. What strong holds are they putting into place to combat this growing problem?

“Recent developments have revealed that only a cross-functional and integrated approach can be successful in defeating counterfeiting and fraud as well as the diversion of pharmaceutical products. That is why the use of these anti-counterfeiting technologies should be embraced extensively by consumers of pharmaceuticals products and pharmaceutical companies should equally employ security technologies in packaging, primarily to support product authentication, provide an indication of a drug purity and allow supply chain to be tracked.”

To read more about new initiatives visit here.

Thanks for reading!

Your healthcare resource – Rebecca Busch

With weight-loss drugs all the rage these days I thought this post to be especially important. This is in response to an older post about counterfeit drugs. They are out there – even with over-the-counter medications like Alli. Tests conducted by drug maker GlaxoSmithKline show that counterfeit versions of Alli do not contain the active ingredient orlistat but instead a controlled substance called sibutramine. Sibutramine should not be taken without a doctor’s supervision and monitoring. Some frequent side effects include dry mouth, paradoxically increased appetite, nausea, strange taste in mouth, upset stomach, constipation, trouble sleeping, dizziness, drowsiness, menstrual cramps/pain, headache, flushing, or joint/muscle pain.

Counterfeit Alli looks similar to the authentic product, however some notable differences occur with packaging.
1. Outer cardboard packaging missing a “Lot” code
2. Expiration date that includes the month, day and year – authentic Alli only includes month and year
3. Packaging in a plastic bottle that has a slightly taller and wider cap with coarser ribbing than genuine product
4. Plain foil inner safety seal under the plastic cap without any printed words – authentic Alli seal is printed with “SEALED for YOUR PROTECTION”
5. Contains larger capsules with a white powder instead of small white pellets

See FDA’s full report here including pictures.

Remember – be a conscientious consumer and watch out for counterfeit medication, it could have very adverse outcomes on your health.

A global crackdown on counterfeit drugs has uncovered more than 700 alleged packages of fake or suspicious prescription drugs including Claritin, Viagra and Vicodin. Some of the drugs might have had 3 times the active agreement than normally prescribed, others were placebos and some drugs contained materials typically not found in medications including drywall material, antifreeze and yellow highway paint.

See article for more information.

With the increasingly high costs of prescription medications, many people are turning to the Internet to fill their prescriptions. Internet pharmacies are a hot bed for counterfeit drugs. However, don’t assume you’re safe if you purchase from a brick and mortar pharmacy – counterfeit drugs can make their way into the supply chain anywhere.

Counterfeit drugs are currently a $28 million industry. Don’t let yourself be a victim. Below are some tips that will help.

1. If you take a medication for a chronic condition – save the packaging from the month before and compare the bottle, packaging or the pill itself.

2. If you only receive the pill in a generic bottle compare a picture of the tablet at www.fda.gov by simply searching for the medication.

3. If you are taking a medication and it just doesn’t feel the same or is not working like it normally does, see your doctor and show the medication to your pharmacist.

4. If the medication is deemed counterfeit, save a sample until you see your doctor to make sure there will be no long term complications or side effects.