Nick,

I think your warning is justified.  There are a huge number of
sleazy operators selling fake Viagra and some other drugs
(though Viagra and related drugs are the biggest subjects
of counterfeiting.)

But the situation in India is a little different.  India does not
recognize U.S. patent laws on drugs.  So the Indian manufacturers
are not violating Indian law and they don't give a hoot about
U.S. law, just as our manufacturers don't give a hoot about
Indian law - except of course when they're trading in India.

A number of the Indian manufacturers are highly reputable
with excellent quality control.  In fact, a lot of the "U.S. made"
drugs are actually manufactured in India or other countries.
They are indeed making generic Viagra and other generics.
They're often perfect copies.

The importation of drugs from India is illegal in the U.S., which
means that the importer (the patient) is violating the law.
Drugs have been seized by customs upon occasion, though
most get through.  To my knowledge, I don't know of anyone
having been prosecuted for this "crime", and I would be
surprised if it happens.  Some states have publicly announced
their intention of importing drugs from Canada, and dared
the Justice Department to sue them.  So far, they are
getting away with it.

I would be willing to buy from a reputable Indian pharmacy.
It's not that I'm a scofflaw in general, but I think this is a bad
law, written for corrupt purposes.

   Alan

Leah wrote:

There is no such thing as "generic Viagra".

The drug manufacturer (Pfizer) with the patent has not
licensed any other manufacturer to produce a generic.

In the interests of telling both sides of a story, consider the
following.....and I am not saying that these cross-border pharmacies are
innocent, but there is definitely 2 sides to these stories.

1.  The drugs in question were not shipped from Canada according to your
article.  And I ask you, are the owners of the cross border pharmacies
actually Canadian??  They could be American, for instance.  How would
you or I know??

2.  Big Pharma and in particular Pfizer (not to forget the US FDA)
routinely warn Americans that our drugs are not safe......despite the
fact that many are made in the US (Lipitor in particular).  It is in
their best interests to scare people into not buying from Canadian
pharmacies.

3.  But the worst online article I just read (I googled 'counterfeit
drugs') was the 6 page MSNBC Dateline investigation into counterfeit
drugs that are sold in US pharmacies which aired in June, 2006.

They come in from China or India, etc....NOT Canada.  And Lipitor and
Viagra are the biggest sellers.  They are totally fake.  And so good
that even Pfizer was taken aback.  But one of the fakes was a cancer
drug called Procrit.

Here is the article.... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13137839/

This is nothing new, btw.  I found articles from 3 years ago on this
problem.  Both here and in the US.

And Nick......people who are making the cheaper Viagra in say,
India....would not be worried that it is patented in the US.

Heather

Alan:

Unless you're asking a rhetorical question - I can tell you that it
works for me.  I had robotic surgery on 7/3 and once I was mentally
prepared to see if I was "up-to-it" - I can tell you that I was.  I'm
amazingly lucky and blessed.  I feel the Cialis is working FOR ME,
since I have the same feelings that I had when I took Cialis before my
surgery.  At 62 I never woke up (in recent years) with even a semblance
of an erection without Cialis - that was taken the day before.  But -
on the other hand - I take Propecia to make my hair grow or stop
falling out.  I'm k pretty sure it isn't doing any good, but I'm
worried that if I stop I will get confirmation that it was working.

I want to think that my doc is not swayed by the pretty drug reps and
his medical conclusion is that this is good medicine.  My only
complaint is the cost - but that's life.

Steve