AWARxE. Get Informed about the Dangers of Prescription Drugs

Abuse & Misuse – Trends and Prevention

Get Informed on the Dangers of Counterfeit Drugs
Some people ordering prescription drugs on the Internet are exposed to dangerous counterfeit drugs and other risks when they buy products from rogue Internet drug outlets. These Internet outlets often use state-of-the-art Web sites and other means to look like a real Internet pharmacy.

Learn more – click on the question below to find the related facts and to learn about prevention efforts.

Counterfeit Drugs

What are counterfeit drugs?
What are the dangers of counterfeit drugs?
Where are counterfeit drugs found?
What is being done to help ensure that patients receive safe medication(s)?
How can I make sure that I avoid counterfeit drugs?

What are counterfeit drugs?

“Counterfeit medicine is fake medicine. It may be contaminated or contain the wrong ingredient or no active ingredient at all. If you or your family receives and uses counterfeit drugs, you may experience adverse effects to your health – including death. In the United States, the most common way that people receive counterfeit drugs is from ordering from rogue Internet drug sites.” See the “Counterfeit Drugs” page for more information.
Counterfeit pills sold online often have too little, too much, or the wrong medicine. See the AWAR_XE YouTube Channel for more public service announcements.

What are the dangers of counterfeit drugs?

“The composition of fraudulent drugs ranges from crude mixtures of glue, chalk, and sugar to nearly exact chemical replicas of complex pharmaceuticals.”
“Counterfeit drugs are commonly manufactured in countries like China and India.” "Counterfeit Drugs" from National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
“A weak economy along with rising drug prices are likely leading consumers to seek out cheaper products online or from unauthorized providers, stoking demand for counterfeit drugs,” says Bryan Liang, a board member at the Partnership for Safe Medicines.
"The primary problem with gray-market drug sellers is that health care facilities and patients have no assurance that the substances they receive are what they are purported to be. Many of the replacement drugs purchased online are unregulated, meaning there are no safeguards in place to ensure their identity, safety, or efficacy, where and under what conditions they were made, or how they were handled.” Internet Drug Outlet Identification Program Progress Report for State and Federal Regulators: April 2012 (PDF) from NABP.
“While fake drugs have been around for decades, the Internet's growth and the popularity of Pfizer's erectile dysfunction drug Viagra in the 1990s created the "perfect storm" to fuel this underground industry, says Liang, a professor at California Western School of Law in San Diego.” “Growing Problem of Fake Drugs Hurting Patients, Companies.” USA Today (September 13, 2010)
"NABP has found that rogue Internet drug outlets also exploit consumers’ concern over prescription drug shortages to spread misinformation and sell counterfeit and substandard drugs, such as erectile dysfunction (ED) medications – many of them knockoffs of legitimate brands – that are not in short supply.” Internet Drug Outlet Identification Program Progress Report for State and Federal Regulators: April 2012 (PDF) from NABP.
Pfizer educational videos provide an inside look at counterfeit drug investigations, and highlight the dangers of counterfeit drugs.

Where are counterfeit drugs found?

Fake online pharmacies may provide “a global distribution channel for fake or tainted medicines, making it much easier for criminal drug rings to sell their ineffective and harmful products to unsuspecting American patients,” “Foreign Medicine Poses a Risk to Chronically Ill Americans,” from Partnership for Safe Medicines.
"The ongoing shortage of certain medications has created a lucrative niche market for counterfeiters and so-called gray-market distributors. . . . NABP has identified illegal online drug sellers that exploit consumers’ worries about prescription drug shortages to sell substandard, unapproved knock-offs of brand-name drugs that are available in plentiful supply through normal legal channels.” Internet Drug Outlet Identification Program Progress Report for State and Federal Regulators: April 2012 (PDF) from NABP.
“It is shocking to realize that, in some parts of the world, somewhere between 30 and 50 percent of drugs to treat serious diseases are actually counterfeit,” Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, from remarks (PDF) at the Partnership for Safe Medicines’ Interchange 2010 conference.

What is being done to help ensure that patients receive safe medication(s)?

Anti-Counterfeit Efforts

Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP) seeks to protect patient safety and ensure patient access to safe and legitimate online pharmacies. ASOP aims to engage relevant administrative agencies, raise awareness in Congress, and educate government policymakers. ASOP also develops data and educates patients and health care providers.
NABP works "with state boards to work with the state boards of pharmacy, federal regulators, and other public and private stakeholders to educate the public about counterfeit drugs and other potential dangers of buying medication from unknown and unapproved sources over the Internet. The Association remains committed to upholding the integrity of the practice of pharmacy – in any practice setting – and ensuring that patients have access to safe and effective prescription drugs. Through communication and cooperation, NABP strives to advance the efforts of regulators and other entities to curtail the online trade of illicit and counterfeit medications.” Internet Drug Outlet Identification Program Progress Report for State and Federal Regulators: April 2012 (PDF) from NABP. NABP publishes a quarterly report providing information about internet drug outlets; the quarterly reports of the past year are available for download on the Not Recommended Sites page.)
Partnership for Safe Medicines is a group of not-for-profit organizations and individuals that have policies, procedures, or programs to protect consumers from counterfeit or contraband medicines.
Pfizer educational videos were developed to educate consumers about the dangers of counterfeit drugs and how to avoid counterfeit drugs.

Food and Drug (FDA) Initiatives

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is continuing numerous efforts to combat counterfeit drugs, including

Coordinating the Counterfeit Alert Network to share alerts about counterfeit drug incidents.
Coordinating, since 2003, a Counterfeit Drug Task Force to respond to the emerging threat of counterfeit drugs.
Participation in a yearly International Internet Week of Action (IIWA), with regulatory agencies from across the globe.
Analyzing data from counterfeit criminal case information to determine trends and prioritize efforts to fight counterfeits.

How can I make sure that I avoid counterfeit drugs?

If ordering a medication online, make sure to use a VIPPS^® (Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites^CM) Pharmacy.
Avoid ordering from Web sites included on the Not Recommended list by NABP. These Internet drug outlets appear to be out of compliance with state and federal laws or NABP patient safety and pharmacy practice standards. Ordering drugs from these Web sites puts you and your family at risk.
Also, see Counterfeits for more information on how to avoid counterfeit drug products.

Prescription Drug Misuse & Abuse

Medication Safety

Find out More:

Prescription Drug Abuse in the United States

“Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention” from Office of National Drug Control Policy
“Prescription Medications” from National Institute on Drug Abuse
“Prescription Drug Abuse” from Medline Plus

Teen Prescription Drug Abuse

”Preventing Teen Abuse of Prescription Drugs” (PDF) from The Partnership at Drugfree.org
The Partnership at Drugfree.org
”National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign” from Office of National Drug Control Policy

Counterfeit Medicines

Buying Medicine Online from National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
Counterfeit Medicine from Food and Drug Administration

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