• 17
  • February
    2012

We have written multiple times previously about the dangers associated with defective prescription drugs. Defective drugs can hinder the effectiveness of patients' care plans, compromise their safety and even endanger their lives.

"Fake" pharmaceuticals are potentially dangerous, defective or both. And unfortunately, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently been forced to alert physicians about the increasing prevalence of fake injectable cancer drugs.

Fake drugs are essentially counterfeit, unapproved versions of otherwise approved pharmaceuticals. Because they are counterfeit, they are not regulated in the same ways that approved drugs are and are therefore potentially unsafe, tampered with or otherwise defective.

The FDA has highlighted that patients may have been recently given fake versions of the injectable cancer drugs Avastin, Neupogen, Herceptin, Faslodex and Rituxan.

In the past, the FDA has cracked down on counterfeit drugs in pill form. In fact, nearly 10 million fake Viagra pills were seized in 2011 alone. However, injectable drugs are increasingly being targeted by counterfeiters because these drugs often cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars per vial.

Far fewer injectable cancer drugs have been counterfeited than pill-based medications have been. However, unlike easily counterfeited "lifestyle" drugs like Viagra, many injectable cancer drugs are medications which can make the difference between life and death for a patient. Therefore, many healthcare providers are scrutinizing their shelves for counterfeits with a great sense of urgency.

Recently, the fashion industry launched a campaign aimed at exposing the intellectual property violations committed by counterfeiters of sunglasses, designer bags and clothing. Hopefully, the public will be alerted to the dangers of counterfeit and potentially defective drugs with at least as much visibility as the fashion industry is currently addressing the fake versions of their products.

Source: Wall Street Journal, "Fakes Infiltrate Injectable Drugs," Jonathan D. Rockoff, Jeanne Whalen and Christopher Weaver, Feb. 16, 2012