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Warning over Internet Sales of Fake Viagra
By Lyndsay Moss, Health Correspondent, PA News
28 September 2004
Half of the Viagra tablets bought on
the internet could be fakes, research suggested today.
Researchers analysed samples of the impotence drug bought online using a new technique called near infrared (NIR) microscopy to check the ingredients.
The team, from the University of London, concluded that around half of the samples could be counterfeit.
The research, presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester, came after the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency revealed that three batches of counterfeit drugs had entered the UK supply.
The agency called for the return of one batch of counterfeit Reductil
capsules, used to treat obesity, and two lots of the drug Cialis,
designed to treat erectile
dysfunction.
Before these finds, the last discovery of counterfeit drugs in the UK supply chain was in 1994.
In the latest study research, Dr Nic Wilson concentrated on Viagra, which is widely available over the internet and a major target for counterfeiters.
The researchers targeted websites which did not contain addresses or indicate where the drugs were coming from.
The NIR microscopy technique produces an “image map” of thousands of spectra from a tablet sample, making it possible to identify the components in the tablet and the amount.
It also lets researchers focus in on particle size and distribution within the tablet which provide another clue to the tablet’s origin.
Dr Wilson said the NIR microscopy provided more information than the established technique of NIR spectroscopy.
“It gives another layer of information. For example, a counterfeit tablet may contain lactose as an ingredient in the tablet bulk, whereas the authentic tablet does not.
“NIR spectroscopy could only show that the tablets are different, while NIR microscopy could actually identify the likely presence of lactose,” Dr Wilson said.
Using the technique on known counterfeit tablets, the researchers found that most contained less of the active ingredient sildenafil than bona fide Viagra.
They then moved on to samples from the internet, estimating that around half could be counterfeit.
The fake tablets were found to contain different ingredients from those in the authentic tablets.
Dr Wilson said: “We don’t know that ‘wrong’ components will be harmful, but the user runs the risk of poor quality and possible toxicity, not to mention the fact there is a high probability that the tablets may have no clinical effect.”
Prof Tony Moffat, also from the University of London, said in total they had tested around 100 tablets which had arrived from countries including Singapore, India and Malta. The pills cost around £20 for four.
When the fake samples from the last test batch of around 30 tablets were sent to Viagra manufacturer Pfizer the company confirmed they were fakes, Prof Moffat said.
“Most of the samples contained sildenafil in much lower quantities than the real pills.
“But if they had contained a much larger amount of sildenafil there is a possibility that a man could suffer a heart attack,” he said.
Dr Wilson said the test they used could help track counterfeit products across the world.
“Once counterfeit tablets have been identified their images can be added to a database.
“When other suspect tablets are seized and later identified as fakes, they can then be compared with the known counterfeits present in the database.
“The identity of the components in the newly identified counterfeits and their distribution within the tablet can be compared with those in the database.
“This will help to link different sources of counterfeit tablets and to monitor the movements of batches of counterfeit tablets.
“It will therefore help the regulatory authorities and the pharmaceutical companies in the fight against the counterfeit medicine trade,” she said.
source :-http://news.scotsman.com | 
