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Some Viagra Bought Online Is Not The Real Thing
Overseas Web Sites Sometimes Send Pills Illegal In U.S.
POSTED: 1:27 pm EST November 23, 2004
UPDATED: 9:12 am EST November 24, 2004
Every second, nine more tablets of Viagra
are dispensed around the world. But a recent study estimated as
many as half of the Viagra sold on the Internet could be fake.
Millions of men say Viagra makes them feel like the love machine they want to be but that could all come to a screeching halt if they buy their thrill in the little blue pill off the Internet.
"We've found counterfeit Viagra that has had almost 400 times the maximum active ingredient. That's a dangerous product," said John Therriault, vice president of global security for Pfizer, the maker of Viagra.
Therriault used to chase crooks for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Now he cracks counterfeit prescription drug rings for Pfizer.
"We've found people manufacturing counterfeit products in grubby garages and warehouses in Columbia and in out of the way places in China," Therriault said.
Just imagine the quality control available in a makeshift garage or in a bedroom in Thailand. Some studies show when you order off the Internet there is a 50 percent chance your Viagra is coming from these unsanitary places.
If you think you would be able to tell the difference between the real stuff and a fake when you get your Viagra in the mail, you may be fooling yourself.
"It's like the wild, wild west. You just don't know what you're going to get," said Michael Cohen, of the Institute of Safe Medication Practices.
The NBC 10 Investigators decided to order from five different Web sites to find out what they would get. Pfizer helped with the testing.
Days after ordering, the first delivery arrived in a prescription bottle from a pharmacy in New York. It looks like the real thing and Pfizer confirmed that it was.
The second shipment came in a neat little box and, again, it was real Viagra.
The third shipment was also Viagra, but it was a free sample from a doctor's office. Cohen said it is illegal in the United States for physicians or pharmacists to sell free samples.
The fourth package arrived from India. There was no little blue pill, instead it was a pill called Caverta. The Food and Drug Administration calls Cavarta a foreign generic and it has not been approved in the United States.
The final package contained white pills from Great Britain. The FDA said the pills mimic Viagra and are illegal in the United States.
"You have no idea what the ingredients are. You don't know if it is too much or too little in that pill and people get hurt. It could cause cardiac side effects, including making your heart stop," Cohen said.
If you do have a problem, there is nowhere to complain. Many of the Web sites are overseas and can disappear or move overnight.
How do you make sure you are getting the legitimate prescription drug you need? If you are you are buying drugs on the Web, most experts say you should deal with a site that has the seal of the National Association Of Boards Of Pharmacy.
Related Resources:
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (Web site will be available after Nov. 29)
Pfizer.com
Institute for Safe Medication Practices
FDA: Buying Medicines and Medical Products Online
Copyright 2004 by NBC10.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
source :-http://www.nbc10.com
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