FDA: Some Canadian Web Sites Sell Counterfeit
Prescription Drugs
08-31-2006 13:26
By ANDREW BRIDGES

WASHINGTON --  Testing revealed fake versions of
Lipitor and other widely used prescription drugs
ordered through Web sites linked to a Canadian
pharmacy, the Food and Drug Administration said
Wednesday.
Consumers who bought drugs through the 10 Web
sites should not use the medications because
they may not be safe, the FDA said. The sites
include rxnorth.com, canadiandrugstore.com and
rxbyfax.com.
Prescriptions ordered through the sites are
filled by Mediplan Prescription Plus Pharmacy,
also known as Mediplan Global Health, according
to the FDA and information posted on the sites.
U.S. officials have intercepted and seized
thousands of prescriptions filled by the
pharmacy in recent months, said FDA Associate
Commissioner Randall Lutter. Subsequent testing
has revealed counterfeit versions of the
cholesterol drugs Lipitor and Crestor, as well
as the painkiller Celebrex, blood-pressure
medication Diovan, baldness treatment Propecia
and five other prescription drugs, the FDA said.
"U.S. drug companies, along with the FDA, are
really starting to target companies like ours.
These allegations are completely false," said
Andrew Strempler, the president and chief
executive of Mediplan Global Health. Strempler
added that his company regularly tests the drugs
it sells, and that they are safe and reliable.
The FDA said its own tests showed some of the
drugs contained the active ingredients found in
genuine versions, but at lower concentrations.
That could put patients at risk, Lutter said.
The FDA testing is ongoing.
"We are investigating, and if there are any
safety concerns, we will be sure to alert the
public," said Paul Duchesne, a spokesman for
Canada's federal health department. Staff Sgt.
Steve Saunders of the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police said the national police service was
aware of the FDA release but could not comment,
citing privacy law and agency policy.
Consumers who ordered drugs through the
Mediplan-linked Web sites should talk to their
doctors and get their prescriptions refilled,
Lutter said.
Canadian Internet pharmacies catering to
American customers debuted roughly six years
ago, after busloads of U.S. border-state seniors
began venturing north in search of lower-priced
prescription drugs.
Drugs ordered through the Mediplan-linked sites
and intercepted by U.S. officials were not
shipped from Canada, Lutter said.
Strempler said the drugs his company sells
generally are produced for Canada, Britain,
Australia and New Zealand. He declined to say
from which countries the company ships.
"I hesitate to put that information out there
because it's another way they target us," he
said.
Importing drugs into the United States is
illegal, though the FDA generally does not stop
small shipments purchased for personal use. The
FDA says it cannot guarantee the safety and
efficacy of imported drugs.
___
On the Net:
Food and Drug Administration:
http://www.fda.gov/

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