(BlackDoctor.org) — Boric Acid. Lead. Commercial-grade house paint. Sheetrock. Rat Poison. These are just a few of the materials counterfeiters use to produce fake erectile dysfunction drugs.
The demand for sexual therapy drugs has skyrocketed over the past couple of years, and as a result, so has the number of counterfeit pills, and officials are trying to stop these counterfeiters.
In a dirty, disgusting warehouse, with fungus growing on the walls, Federal investigators busted counterfeiters making fake Viagra in China. It’s just one of a series of raids all over the world that uncovered counterfeit pill making operations.
The Internet has made it possible to find almost anything you need, anytime you need it. From clothes to appliances, we shop online because it’s convenient and easy to find the best price. When it comes to buying medicine online, though, consumers need to be sure they’re getting the real thing. Many of these drugs are ordered from what appear to be legitimate pharmacies and are shipped directly to the patients by the counterfeiters. Sometimes knock-offs are so convincing, that even the drug companies themselves have to take a closer look.
In 2010, one in six Americans bought medicines on the Internet, potentially exposing themselves to harmful, fake medicines. Because the Internet is mostly unregulated, counterfeit medicines are commonly available online. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacyreviewed more than 8,000 websites selling prescription drugs, and found that only a very small percentage of them (4 percent) followed pharmacy laws and standard practices. Nearly half of these sites were selling medicines to Americans that were never approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Experts say that not all online pharmacies deserve a bad rap. Just make sure you buy from a website that has the blue oval “vipps” seal of approval on it and confirm that it’s on the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy list of approved pharmacies.
Be careful, do some research, and make sure that when you’re ordering medications you’re purchasing through a legitimate and legal pharmacy.
If you think you may have purchased counterfeit medication, contact the company that makes the drug you intended to order. It may test the pills for you. You should also contact your doctor and report it to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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