Internet Pharmacies Target Academics

The BBC reports today that a fake drug scam has hijacked some UK college websites.  Online searches for drugs such as Viagra, Cialis etc would give search results which included the websites of academic institutions.  When the user clicked on these sites they were instead taken to online "pharmacy" sites where they were offered the medicines they had originally searched for.

I (and many others) have blogged about internet pharmacies before, but this is a cunning new angle.  By routing the search through the psychologically safer ground of an academic website, the criminals may perhaps fool the unwary into assuming some kind of endorsement of the online pharmacy. 

Internet pharmacies, with very few exceptions (probably not enough for a tetrapod to run out of digits when counting them) are very risky and dangerous. Do not be fooled by the search route, logos, associations or any claimed endorsements. Check everything thoroughly. VIPPS  is one of the few reliable quality schemes.

If you are trying to get prescription medicine online without a prescription then try using breath mints instead - much cheaper, less toxic, and just as efficaceous as whatever turns up in the post from the internet harmacy ("p" deliberately omitted).

Fake Sildenafil: Raising the Flag

Those who buy erectile dysfunction drugs (or any other drugs, for that matter) over the internet need to read this Pfizer-sponsored research. If your attitude is "It's worth a try - what harm can it do?" the answer is plenty.

The research details how many counterfeits are out there and just how substandard almost all of them are. Only around 10% of all sampes tested were within 10% of the stated dosage strength for the active ingredient sildenafil. About 25% had no sildenafil at all. Remember, these are counterfeits labelled as genuine Viagra(R), not herbal remedies sold as cheaper alternatives.

Talcum powder, commercial-grade paints, paracetamol (acetaminophen) and metronidazole, an antiprotozoal/anti-infective, have been found in counterfeit Viagra(R), as well as large quantities of other unidentified impurities . Metronidazole has significant adverse effects when combined with alcohol, whereas overdose of paracetamol can cause potentially fatal liver damage. Printer ink has been found in some samples - it is used to colour the tablets their distinctive blue.

The low quality of counterfeit products is not surprising - that's one of the reasons why they are so profitable for criminals - but this report puts alarming numbers on the problem.  Even allowing for potential conflicts of interest, since this report is from Pfizer, it should act as a further red flag to those who buy their medicines from internet.