Beware of Counterfeit Medications

It’s easy to tell the difference between a bad toupee and real hair, or flank steak and filet mignon. But how many of us could spot a counterfeit Plavix or a fake Lipitor? High drug prices and the bad economy have boosted the influx of counterfeit drugs in the U.S. Most fake drugs that land in American medicine cabinets are purchased over the Internet by patients themselves from bogus foreign pharmacies. "It's a huge problem that's escalating at an astounding rate," says Dr. Marv Shepherd, president of the Partnership for Safe Medicines, a consumer-protection group. "People get what they think are deals from rogue websites in Pakistan and India." The Internet site may claim they are located in Canada, which appears to give them legitimacy, but the actual company is often located overseas. Medications made in foreign countries aren't necessarily a problem and neither are Internet pharmacies. "Some pharmaceutical companies in Europe are very good, and of the active ingredients used in drugs, 70 percent come from overseas," says Dr. Shepherd. "Just because it's made overseas doesn't mean it's inferior. The problem is Third World countries." Buyer Beware When you buy from a questionable website, the drugs could be: • Counterfeit • Contain too much — or too little — of the active ingredient • Out-of-date • Contaminated • Stored or handled improperly If a website has prices that are extremely low and does not require a prescription, that’s a good tip-off that it might be dealing in fake drugs, says Dr. Shepherd. Montezuma’s Revenge Be wary of buying prescription medications while on vacation, such as during a cruise to Mexico. "Up to 20 percent of drugs from Mexico are substandard or fake," Dr. Shepherd said. "Even the Mexican government says that the rate is 12 to 18 percent, so you're taking a chance." What You Can Do Can we get drugs that are safe and effective without the high price tags? Often, the answer is yes. Generics can be a good choice when you're trying to whittle your prescription costs, and many popular brand-name drugs are losing their patent protection, including the antidepressant Zoloft and cholesterol-lowering Zocor. The savings can be huge—switching to a generic can save you as much as 80 percent. Some stores, such as Walmart and Kmart, offer a 30-day supply of popular generic drugs for $4, which can translate into huge savings. And if your doctor offers to switch you to a newer, more expensive drug, you should question him or her about the advantages of making the change. "There's a widespread perception that newer is better," said Dr. Michael Steinman, in a recent article in the “Archives of Internal Medicine.” "That's sometimes true, but many times it's not true. So much of what doctors learn about new drugs is somehow affected by drug-company marketing." Using the Internet Wisely The Internet is a great source for finding which drugs are available in generic form, for comparison shopping, and finding legitimate online pharmacies. • To find a list of verified online pharmacies, go to Pharmacy Checker: http://www.pharmacychecker.com. • To discover which generic products have been approved by the FDA, go to Orange Book: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/default.cfm. • To find a prescription comparison shopping guide, go to Pillbot: http://www.pillbot.com/. • To locate financial help for someone who is having trouble affording their medication, go to http://www.needymeds.org/and the Partnership for Prescription Assistance at http://www.pparx.org/.