Don’t Be Fooled by Counterfeit Drugs
April Fool’s Day is traditionally celebrated with harmless jokes and pranks among friends. At the end of the day, everyone usually has a good laugh. But as Rick Roberts can tell you, getting fooled by counterfeit drugs is no laughing matter. As he shared in a recent news article, twice, Roberts picked up expensive prescriptions from a reputable pharmacy only to find fake drug.
A few years ago, I helped the Partnership for Safe Medicines develop SAFE DRUG, a checklist guide to help consumers identify and protect against counterfeit medicines. This checklist helps consumers evaluate their medications to make sure they are safe, and provides tips on what to do if they believe there is a problem.
Sample: Request samples of your medications from your physician when first having a medication prescribed in order to compare the appearance, taste, texture and reaction later to medications filled through the doctor’s prescription.
Appearance: Compare the prescription medicine you receive with what it is supposed to look like by taking pictures of the original manufacturer’s drug and all associated packaging.
Feel: Take note of the prescription drug’s taste and any associated feelings once you take it. Is there anything unusual in your body’s reaction compared to previous experiences?
Evaluate: Ask your doctor or pharmacist what you should expect to feel and when you should expect to begin feeling relief or improvement.
Doctor: If your drugs do not seem to have the same taste or if you feel different than usual, immediately write down your symptoms and contact your doctor and pharmacist.
Report: If you have any concerns about your drugs, or have confirmed there is a difference in its packaging, labeling or pills, you should immediately contact the pharmacy where you purchased them.
Unavailable: If you confirm that your medicine has been compromised, immediately remove it from your medicine cabinet, mark the packaging with a red pen and put tape around the top of the drug container so that it will be unavailable to you or others in your family.
Gather: Gather all the information you can find related to how you got the counterfeit medication and how long you have been taking it.
We need to be on alert and aware of the real risks associated with online drug sellers and counterfeit medicines. Patients have usually been the first to detect counterfeit medicines, so everyone can help in promoting safe drugs. To learn more about how we can protect ourselves from counterfeit drugs, visit SafeMedicines.org.