Fake blood thinners found in Mexican pharmacies

Americans searching for cheaper prescription drugs are often deceived by some less than reputable pharmacies in Mexico. This isn't a new phenomenon. It's been going on for more than twenty years. Fake blood thinners were just recently found in Mexican pharmacies and sold to American patients.

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Transcript

Americans searching for cheaper prescription drugs continue to be deceived by some less than reputable pharmacies in Mexico

Fake Xarelto with English packaging. (COFEPRIS alert, February 2022)

PSM member the Pharmaceutical Security Institute is warning Americans that counterfeit Xarelto and Eliquis are being sold in Mexican pharmacies to Americans. Both of these drugs are blood thinners and the fakes found had no active ingredients. A blood thinner without blood thinner medicine is a death sentence.

These medicines were made to target Americans. How do we know this? The packaging and the bottles for these fakes are in English. Medicines made for the Mexican drug market should have labels in Spanish. There’s no way a Mexican pharmacy can get American medicines for cheaper than U.S. purchasers can.  It’s simply fake.

Mexican criminals selling desperate Americans fake medicine has been going on for over twenty years. In fact one of PSM’s founders, Marv Shepherd, used to cross over into Mexico to buy and test these fake medicines, until the counterfeiters threatened his life.

Continuing in this tradition, University of Arizona Yuma pharmacy students tested 18 samples from pharmacies in Los Algodones. The team found that 12 were substandard and the others contained zero active pharmaceutical ingredients.

These fakes are being found in multiple places in Mexico, wherever tourists go.

We know why Americans want to buy cheap medicine in Mexico, but it’s not safe, and if you end up with a major medical event you will lose a lot of money and maybe your life. Go have fun in Mexico, but talk to your pharmacists and use the resources on our web page here to save money safely. Between the medicine assistance tool and nonprofits like NeedyMeds and RXOutreach, there’s help for you.

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Fake blood thinners? That's not what you bargained for on your visit to a Mexican pharmacy but it's happening to Americans. Watch! https://www.safemedicines.org/2022/04/buying-medicine-in-mexico.html

Fake blood thinners sold in Mexico to U.S. tourists. Learn about how to avoid the danger! https://www.safemedicines.org/2022/04/buying-medicine-in-mexico.html

Fake blood thinners? We've discovered Americans getting dangerous fake medicines from Mexican pharmacies in three towns. Watch! https://www.safemedicines.org/2022/04/buying-medicine-in-mexico.html