If It Makes Money, Let’s Go For It

January 28th, 2011

Who cares about the consequences?
We live in amazing times: have you ever thought about mass producing fake pills? It’s a major international industry and kills people at the same time. It is difficult to estimate the damage being caused by illicit counterfeit diet pills that are marketed as “natural” solutions for weight loss, but conservative estimates from the Health Ministry’s Pharmaceutical Crimes Unit say at least four people have been hospitalized so far. “And this is the tip of the iceberg,” says the director of the PCU.

Fake pills
A phone call to the police was about an elderly woman who had been hospitalized after taking a pill that was presented by its sellers as a natural slimming agent. The call led to a chain of events resulting in an international criminal investigation which, due to its ongoing sensitivity, cannot be described in any detail at this stage. The pills, called Slim Extreme, played havoc with the woman’s cardiovascular system, causing her pulse rate and blood pressure to go through the roof. The woman filed a complaint, the police investigated the source of the pills, a woman was arrested and quantities of the Slim Extreme pills, as well as counterfeit Viagra tablets were seized.

Diet supplements
All diet supplements that have medical indications are forbidden. Food supplements are not supposed to have medical indication. Such indications “are the first sign that these ingredients can cause damage. The police official involved said, “I would advise against consuming pills that come with those kinds of indications. I suspect they contain active pharmaceuticals.” Ordering pills from the Internet or over the phone is also unsafe, he said. People should only purchase pills from pharmacies and be sure they carry proper seals of approval and instructions.

Counterfeit medicines
Counterfeit medicines are found everywhere in the world. They range from random mixtures of harmful toxic substances to inactive, ineffective preparations. Some contain a declared, active ingredient and look so similar to the genuine product that they deceive health professionals as well as patients. But in every case, the source of a counterfeit medicine is unknown and its content unreliable. Counterfeit medicines are always illegal. They can result in treatment failure or even death. Eliminating them is a considerable public health challenge.

Internet sales
In over 50% of cases, medicines purchased over the Internet from illegal sites that conceal their physical address have been found to be counterfeit. Beware! It is tempting when one compares internet prices to the pharmacy prices and once or twice I’ve been tempted myself. I could use the money I save on other things…

Contributory factors to the counterfeit medicine problem
Counterfeiting medicines can be very lucrative. Since many countries have not yet enacted deterrent legislation, counterfeiters often do not fear prosecution.
Paying for medicines can consume a significant proportion of individual or family income. Some people seek medicines that are sold more cheaply. These are often available from non-regulated outlets, where the incidence of counterfeit medicines is likely to be higher.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 28th, 2011 at 7:41 am and is filed under Finance, Money, Personal / Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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