We All Need To Be On The Lookout for Fake Anti-Viral Medications and Vaccines

By: Alan Clock, Senior Vice President, XStream Systems, Inc.

As the United States slowly moves into the traditional flu season, it bears repeating to be on the lookout for scams regarding fake vaccines and anti-viral medications. These fake drugs seem to proliferating within the legitimate global pharmaceutical supply chain as we speak.

Anti-viral medications like Tamiflu and Relenza are being used worldwide to treat and lessen the impact of the H1N1 flu epidemic (formally known as the Swine Flu) and we are expecting shortly a flu vaccine for the H1N1 virus.

As stated before and predicted here on Secure Pharma Chain Blog, it would soon follow that unscrupulous counterfeiters would seize the opportunity of the epidemic and flood the market with counterfeit, adulterated and sub potent knock offs of these important medications. Unfortunately our predictions were right on target.

Those within the Southern Hemisphere, who are in the grip of flu season can attest, counterfeiters are attempting to flood the market with these dangerous knock offs and the impact of these fakes may impact more than just those who take the bogus medications.

A new dangerous consequence has emerged in this fight against H1N1 and counterfeit drugs.

Many global healthcare officials are now concerned that some counterfeit or knock off vaccines/ anti-viral medications could contain some of the active ingredients of the legitimate medications used in the fight against this epidemic and build drug resistant strains of the H1N1.

Much like what is seen in third world with Malaria, some counterfeiters use just enough active ingredients in their knock off drug to fool rudimentary screening tools but not enough for any therapeutic value against the disease.

The insidious practice of partially active ingredients in fake drugs adds injury to insult. It essentially creates super strains of a disease that resist the drugs used against them. This means that we all suffer the consequence of counterfeit drugs not just the unfortunate suckers who bought and consumed them. Because of counterfeit medications we may now all face a super charged H1N1 virus with limited medications to protect ourselves.

As it relates to the H1N1 epidemic, we all need to be on the lookout for counterfeit vaccines and anti-viral medications, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Only buy anti-viral medications with a prescription from your physician and from a licensed, established local or chain pharmacy in your area.


• Only get vaccinations from licensed, established local healthcare providers.


• Make certain that your pharmacy only buys product from reliable wholesalers and distributors that utilize transactional pedigrees and use some sort of verification process to screen their inventories.


• Never buy anti-viral medications or vaccines on-line from unknown vendors that do not require a prescription from your physician.


• Never buy anti-viral medications on-line from international sources or from sites that are not accredited by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.


• Always remember, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is…

As this epidemic runs its course over the next several months or years, it is especially important for us all to be on the lookout for fake medications.