Canadians Are in Danger From Fake Online Pharmacies for the Same Reason Americans Are

Internet purchases of prescription drugs proliferate in Canada, exposing unsuspecting Canadians to black market and counterfeit medication. At Interchange 2014, we’ll tackle the current state of fake online pharmacies and help you decode fake pharmacy websites. In part one of a two-part series on Canadian fake online pharmacies, iPolitics describes the trend among Canadian consumers…

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iPolitics Investigates How Drug Counterfeiters Are Using Craigslist to Hawk Their Wares to Canadians

Annie Marie Oliver describes how the growing problem of counterfeit drugs being offered for sale on Craigslist is presenting serious challenges to Canadian law enforcement. A story in iPolitics is reporting that counterfeit drugs are easily available to Canadians via sellers on Craigslist. Titled “Craigslist: Increasingly, a marketplace for dodgy prescription drugs”, author Annie Marie…

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Alleged Counterfeit Drug Manufacturer Charged in Quebec

An illicit drug lab operating in Longueuil, Canada was outfitted to produce thousands of pills. Alleged lab owner, Alexandre Beaudry is scheduled to appear in court on charges relating to these operations on February 20, 2014. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) reported that their Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement Team (CLET) have dismantled a counterfeit drug…

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Honoring the 5th Anniversary of Marcia Bergeron’s Passing

  Five years ago today, Marcia Bergeron suddenly passed away. Marcia thought she had a common virus, but her symptoms were actually caused by the poisonous fake medications, and instead of getting better, she died suddenly of heavy metals poisoning. The coroner’s report determined that Marcia died of cardiac arrhythmia caused by metal toxicity. The…

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Canadian Police Warn Residents of Counterfeit Medicines Sold Online

Newfoundland and Labrador police are warning local residents not to purchase medications from unlicensed online vendors. Says Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt Boyd Merrill, “The fake pill industry… has sales in the billions of dollars and people in Newfoundland and Labrador are getting scammed as much as the rest of the world,” reports the CBC…

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Fake online pharmacies can kill

“The people behind these rogue websites are people without a conscience. They’re simply murderers. They killed my friend […] They don’t think about what the consequences are, that somebody could end up sick, somebody could end up dead.”

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Counterfeit Meds Found in Canada: Contains Ingredients Not in Authentic Product

Health Canada, the Canadian health regulatory agency, has discovered fake medication in the Toronto area that contains ingredients not found in the legitmate medication.

The seized medication is fake erectile dysfunction medication mimicking Cialis in shape, form, and similar packaging, but actually contains sildenafil, a prescription medication not found in authentic Cialis that can be very dangerous to people with heart conditions and requires careful medical supervision for use.  

Health Canada reminds consumers to look for drug identification numbers to verify authenticity. “Health products that have been authorized for sale by Health Canada will have an eight-digit Drug Identification Number (DIN), a Homeopathic Medicine Number (DINHM) or a Natural Product Number (NPN) on the label.”

The blisterpacks of the fake medication look very similar.  The logo is reproduced in larger form on the counterfeit, and the typeface is similar but incorrect.  Most notably, the counterfeit package has tadalafil written on it in four languages, including Russian.  

In addition, the authentic Cialis blister packs have a logo that changes color from copper to green when the package is tilted, which is not true of the counterfeits, reports CBC News Canada.

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Counterfeit Cialis Seized in the Greater Toronto Area

This is a reprint of the Health Canada alert. Following an R.C.M.P. seizure of counterfeit Cialis in the Greater Toronto Area, Health Canada is reminding Canadians that unauthorized and counterfeit health products can pose serious risks to their health as they have not been reviewed by the Department for safety, quality, or efficacy. The seized…

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Canadians Find Millions in Fake Drugs

Canadian Mounties seized more than 115,000 counterfeit pills during a raid at a Mississauga, Ontario, warehouse on May 13, 2011. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police estimates that value of drugs, combined with a stash of fake designer clothing, at $5 million Canadian, reports CNews. Mounties in British Columbia intercepted 15,000 fake erectile dysfunction pills packaged…

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