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

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

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that up to 30% of medication on the market in developing countries in Africa are counterfeit and have found that nearly 50% of the drugs sold in Angola, Burundi, and the Congo are of poor quality. Furthermore, nearly two-thirds of anti-malaria drugs in Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam contain insufficient active ingredients.

A 2003 Interpol survey on the quality of drugs available in Lagos, sub-Saharan Africa’s most populous city concluded that 80% of the drugs available were fakes. In 2008, more than 80 children in Nigeria died after being given medicine that looked, smelled, and tasted like the real thing, but was laced with antifreeze.

Why are the numbers so high? Jacqueline Sawyer, Liaison Officer at WHO’s Prequalification of Medicines Programme, told MediaGlobal “The problem of counterfeit medicines is more prevalent in countries where medicine regulation is ineffective, smuggling of medicines is rampant, secret manufacturing exists, sanctions are absent or very weak, and there is high corruption.”

Do not think counterfeit or tampered drugs only exist in developing countries. An estimated 1% of all medicines dispensed in developed countries are counterfeit. Medicines containing boric acid and other lethal substances have been found recently in certain medications.

To be sure that your drug is safe to use, check the FDA’s website. They announce drugs that might have been tampered with and also have correct packaging and dosage information.
Recent FDA Headlines:
FDA Warns About Fraudulent Tamiflu
Warning: Counterfeit Alli
FDA Issues Warning on Counterfeit Surgical Mesh

Full article here.
FDA here.

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.