Search
The latest recall of yet another Chinese-made toy keeps the dangers of counterfeits front and center for parents, consumer watch groups and legislators. This time, 4.2 million toys were pulled from shelves in U.S. stores and Internet sites following a link made between the toy and 2 children who had fallen seriously ill after ingesting it. The immediate response to…
Read MoreBy now, anyone who reads my column knows I am a devoted fan of comparison shopping. Why? It arms us with the knowledge of what things should cost. And that, my friends, is how you know when you're scoring a great deal. But when it comes to buying medication online, finding a great deal is not my priority — my…
Read MoreHow much can you "save" by buying cheap drugs over the Internet? Be careful, consumers. You may, in fact, be paying for dangerous knockoffs that could cost a lot more than you bargained for. In August, knockoffs of Johnson & Johnson's OneTouch Test Strips were traced to China. One year prior, they had surfaced in 700 pharmacies across 35 U.S.…
Read MoreSix men face charges of illegally distributing drugs through an Internet pharmacy, and the U.S. Department of Justice is seeking forfeiture of more than US$40 million in profit from the operation. The men, from the U.S. and Puerto Rico, were indicted Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa in Cedar Rapids, according to the DOJ. By…
Read MoreThe Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Dora Akunyili yesterday said fake chemicals used for the manufacture of drugs and diagnosis in laboratories were responsible for most health problems in the country. The DG, NAFDAC who was fielding questions from news men at the induction of 700 new members into the…
Read MoreWhen was the last time you picked up a bottle of Bayer Aspirin and wondered whether it was authentic? Never? Well, that's because Bayer is a well-known brand. You were probably in a chain store, or at least on a popular website like DrugStore.com. Plus, you don't need a prescription for aspirin. But what if you wanted a drug that…
Read MoreYou buy your prescription drugs from a reputable pharmacy with the belief that the medicine in the bottle is exactly what the doctor ordered. But buyer beware: neither you, nor your pharmacy, nor the government has any way of being certain it is. Long Island native Tim Fagan, now 22, had a liver transplant at the age of 16. His…
Read More"Today, few jurisdictions, whether developed or developing, are immune from counterfeit pharmaceuticals and the infringement of intellectual property rights", warned the report on counterfeiting released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). While the magnitude of counterfeit pharmaceuticals is still reported as low (less than one percent) in many developed countries, such as Australia, Canada, the EU, Japan,…
Read More