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The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) issued a progress report for state and federal regulators summarizing the overwhelming quantity of internet drug outlets selling prescription medications operating out of compliance with laws and patient safety standards.
Read MoreWhen a country is large and porous, keeping fake drugs out of the country isn’t as effective as keeping them out of the marketplace with new anti-counterfeit technology, reports Dr. Paul Orhii, of Nigeria.
Read MoreClick here to see a video clip related to our appearance on the Dr. Oz Show via Flickr.
Read Moreby Dr. Bryan Liang, VP of the Partnership for Safe Medicines
Recently I was on the Doctor Oz show, which highlighted the public health dangers of counterfeit Botox. The danger here is very real as counterfeit Botox has been growing. The number of counterfeits found are continuing to rise, with the FDA opening 20% more investigations over the past couple of years that include Botox. More recently, Chinese Botox fakes have been found with concentrations differing by 500% than stated on its label that use materials that may cause severe allergic reactions. Hence, the real scope of the problem is probably much worse.
If you are thinking of getting a Botox treatment, I recommend following the four simple rules below that were discussed on the show yesterday:
Be an informed consumer
Learn about what are safe sources for pharmaceuticals, and learn how to be skeptical of deals that seem “too good to be true”. When it comes to medications, they probably are. You can learn more at the consumer section of our website.
Know who is performing your treatment
Plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and properly trained opthalmologists and otolaryngologists (ENT doctors) are the only ones who should be injecting Botox. It is possible to get certified to inject Botox without any medical training, but I don’t recommend using these persons because they may lack training in the event of a medical emergency.
Read MoreBright Ekweremadu, the Managing Director of the Society for Family Health (SFH) blames “rampant adulteration” of anti-malaria drugs for malaria rates in Nigeria.
Read MoreElisane Garcia of Hooksett, New Hampshire, pled guilty to a four-count indictment charging her with smuggling goods into the U.S., selling misbranded drugs, possession of controlled substances with the intent to distribute and money laundering. Garcia paid $45,000 for thousands of pills, known as “Brazilian diet pills,” delivered to her from suppliers in Brazil. These pills contained three Schedule IV…
Read MoreThis is a reprint of the FDA alert. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today announced a joint effort to remove products from the market that make unproven claims to treat, cure, and prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Among the products targeted in today’s action are Medavir, Herpaflor, Viruxo, C-Cure, and Never An…
Read MoreAn Idaho federal court sentenced a Vista, California nutritional supplement maker, Tribravus Enterprises, for the unlawful manufacture and distribution of unapproved synthetic steroids in over-the-counter pills marketed as “dietary supplements.”
Read MoreVietnamese officials have discovered counterfeit antibiotics and are alerting consumers and pharmacists.
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The Texas Attorney General’s Office is suing two American companies for distributing products falsely advertised as antibiotics that were marketed primarily to Spanish speakers in the U.S.
After an Austin hospital alerted authorities that pediatric patients had been given fake antibiotics, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) issued a warning and opened an investigation.
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