Viagra, the popular drug for treating erectile dysfunction, is one of the world’s most popular pharmaceuticals. Originally developed in the 1990s, the drug is a PDE5 inhibitor and thus works by increasing the blood flow to the penis during sexual stimulation.
Often, the counterfeiters who copy the drug’s active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) are not bothered by the fact that their drugs are not authorized by the brand-owner, Pfizer. They believe that many countries, including the U.S., allow the unauthorized manufacture of pharmaceuticals.
However, the situation is actually quite different. While some unscrupulous pharmaceutical companies may try to pass off substandard medicines as the real deal, others deliberately aim to defraud insurance providers and government healthcare agencies. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), these cases are on the rise and more people are becoming victims of pharmaceutical fraud.
How can you tell if a drug is genuine or not? One of the simplest ways is to compare the label on the bottle to the information listed on the packaging. If you suspect that a medicine is a fake, contact the company or brand owner directly. They will usually take your concerns seriously and address them as soon as possible. Sometimes they will even send you a replacement dose or a refund.
The Difference In Quality
If you are buying Viagra online, it is important to understand that not all sources of the drug are created equal. Unfortunately, there are some fly-by-night online pharmacies that attempt to pass off low-quality medication as the real deal. If you are ever in doubt, it is best to stay away from these type of online pharmacies and purchase your drugs from established businesses with a good reputation.
Counterfeiters Can Evade Detection
Counterfeiters can evade drug security measures, including but not limited to, tamper-proof packaging and tracking systems. For instance, some pharmacies remove the drug’s active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and replace it with an innocuous substance. When stored under certain conditions, this can cause problems for patients who are taking the medication as prescribed. In these cases, the drugs seem to work just fine but after a while, their benefits stop and the side effects become more prominent.
As for tamper-proof packaging, the pharmaceutical industry has adopted a number of different mechanisms to prevent individuals from tampering with a drug’s packaging or labeling. This includes but is not limited to, child-resistant packaging and security printing on the container’s labels. While these security features are very effective at preventing people from snatching open a medicine’s packaging and thus harming themselves or tampering with the medication, they can also make it more difficult for pharmaceutical companies to track the source of counterfeits. In some cases, the security features are printed using a watermarking process which can be easily detected using X-ray machines or other scanning devices. In other cases, the security features are etched onto the glass container which can only be verified by physically opening the bottle or capsule and checking the manufacturing details which are listed on the label.
More Dangerous Than You Think
It is a well-known fact that many people who take Viagra as part of their treatment plan do so because it is a relatively safe and effective medication for patients with cardiovascular disease. However, as more individuals are using the drug, the FDA has cautioned healthcare professionals about the potential for serious side effects, especially in patients who have already suffered from heart disease or who are at risk of developing the condition. In one instance, a 71-year-old man allegedly died after taking a counterfeit Viagra.
In cases like this, the medication seems to have caused the patient’s blood pressure to drop precipitously and after several hours of complaining of chest pains, the man was found dead in his bed. An autopsy revealed that he had coronary artery blockage and his death was attributed to a myocardial infarction, or a heart attack. However, it should be noted that this was an isolated incident and the FDA does not believe that there is any causal link between the patient’s death and his consumption of the counterfeit drug. Nevertheless, this is one of the many dangers that you need to consider before you decide to purchase a bottle of Viagra online or elsewhere.
What Can You Do?
In the event that you do end up taking a counterfeit drug, the first thing you should do is contact the company or brand owner and report the incident. In many cases, they will be more than happy to provide you with a replacement dose or a refund. Sometimes they will even call the police if they are not sure that the drug was deliberately mislabeled or contaminated. However, in cases where the drug was deliberately contaminated or mislabeled, it is important to report the incident to the FDA. The agency will then investigate the matter and attempt to hold the responsible parties accountable for their actions.
While it might seem that pharmaceutical fraud is a victimless crime, the fact is that it is not. It is estimated that every year, several hundred thousand people become victims of pharmaceutical fraud globally. Often times, the victims are elderly and uninsured patients who have bought drugs online without any verification. In some cases, the victims are even healthcare professionals who have been bribed to prescribe certain medications. In all cases, however, the end result is the same; individuals have been harmed due to a lack of safety and security measures in place to protect consumers of these drugs.
So, how can you avoid becoming a victim of pharmaceutical fraud? One of the best things that you can do is educate yourself about the issue. You can start by reading reputable news sources and medical journals which cover the subject regularly. In many cases, pharmaceutical companies and brand owners will highlight the various threats that they face on a daily basis. These include but are not limited to theft, counterfeiting, and product tampering. Often, they will even go as far as to suggest that their products are among the most-stolen medications in the world. Naturally, this will make you worry but, as a consumer, you should not have to.
Through education and awareness, you can help put an end to pharmaceutical fraud. When purchasing pharmaceuticals, make sure that your trusted pharmacist checks for the patent number and drug tests the ingredients to make sure that they are indeed what the manufacturer or brand owner claims them to be. Sometimes the drugs are substituted with identical or similar ingredients and the only way to tell the difference is by comparing the label on the bottle to the information listed on the packaging.