Counterfeit Drugs -- They Aren't What You Think

Two weeks ago, I would have told you that a counterfeit drug was a drug that was manufactured from bogus ingredients in another country (probably China or a third-world country), then ordered through the Internet by someone in the US wanting access to an illegal drug, or trying to save some money on an expensive prescription drug.

Since I've never ordered drugs from overseas, it wasn't my problem.

I was so wrong!

Then I met Katherine Eban, the author of Dangerous Doses, The True Story of Cops, Counterfeiters, and the Contamination of America's Drug Supply.

And now I'm maniacally studying every drug, both prescription and over-the-counter, the labels and the packages, that reside in my medicine cabinet.

If you take Lipitor, or have been injected or infused with a drug after chemo for cancer, or if you take any form of expensive drug (even if your insurance pays for most of it) then you may have been a victim of counterfeit drugs. If you've ever gotten sicker after taking a drug, or if you expected it to do something -- whether that something was an expected benefit, or a side effect -- then you may have been a victim.

Counterfeit drugs are being dispensed to American patients every day by reputable -- and unscrupulous -- pharmacies across the country. Sometimes those pharmacists don't even know they are counterfeit.

Here are some ways you can learn more:

• Read about what counterfeits are, and how and why they get into our drug supply.
• What can you do to protect yourself and your loved ones? There are ways of being cautious if you know what to look for.
• You may be interested in reading Ms. Eban's book -- it is a great read, like a thriller or an episode of Law & Order. Except it's all real.
• And if all that isn't enough, you may want to read an interview with Ms. Eban to find out what the government and law enforcement have been doing (or not doing) since her book was published in 2005.
• Have some useful ideas? Been a victim? Why not tell us about it in the Patient Empowerment Forum?

Learning about counterfeit drugs has rocked my world. I hope you'll find this cautionary tale useful.
..............................................
Photo © Microsoft Image Gallery