Tuesday, March 29, 2016

The Awkward Case of Viagra Counterfeiting




In recent years, the number of counterfeit drugs has increased from the most unsuspecting in-demand and common medicines to the most expensive drugs in the market which can be sold for a lower price in black markets. In the most recent reviews, however, latest acquisition in the illegal market includes complimentary, alternative and integrative medicines. The lack of regularization among these medicines is one of the factors which made them an attractive product goal among fraudsters.

Viagra and Cialis are some of the few alternative medicines which now have their own version of counterfeited drugs. It makes sense as buying these medicines can be a little awkward.

Men who suffer from erectile dysfunction often have difficulty admitting it even to their doctors; hence, buying medicines through online pharmacies is a very likely option for total discretion and assurance.

“On the internet, they don’t have to consult their doctor face to face. They don’t have to spill out their real identity and they can avoid embarrassing situation”, says Dr. Arnold Furber, member doctor of The Peterson Group, one of the leading sources of Complementary, Alternative and Integrative medicine. “It also costs much less: $1 per tablet compared to $15 for the real deal”.

However, buying prescription drugs online exposes the buyer to potentially serious health risks. These drugs are often manufactured in garages with poor sanitation. They can be dosed less, even devoid of the active ingredient. Worse, they can contain a different substance that can cause undesirable side effects.

In 2008, 4 different cases of men from Jakarta, Indonesia were hospitalized for severe hypoglycemia caused by sudden drop in blood sugar. It was found out that they were prescribed with Viagra from a similar online site which contains glyburide, a medicine used to treat diabetes. Complications occurred as they have no diabetes to treat. When traced, the site was already down and the culprits remain unknown. The complaints against the said site remained moot and academic.

Homeopathic medicines which are sold in pharmacies and those which are capsulated are also targeted by counterfeiting. Currently, homeopathic and CAM experts are strictly supervising the use and regulation of their own medicines as there is still a lack of policies concerning the counterfeiting of such.

Awareness is one of the greatest advocacies of most CAM campaign while pharmaceutical companies focus on enhancing their own system and technology to ensure the legitimacy of medicines.

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