It seems that both physicians and patients can be easily fooled when it comes to many dermatology products. Because of globalization, and many more parties becoming involved in the manufacture and distribution of drugs, authorities are seeing more and more clever ways to supply sub-therapeutic, less expensive, and even dangerous versions of the drugs to consumers. Examples of this would be FDA unapproved alternative drugs, altered or diluted drugs, expired drugs, or improperly stored or handled drugs that will affect their potency, or worse cause them to become dangerous. Ways of avoiding this is not easy, as the criminals are becoming more sophisticated and smart.
One way is to try and see if the supplier of the drug is licensed to distribute the drug by the manufacturer. Watch the integrity of the supply chain – how many people have handled this drug? If it went from the manufacturer to several people before it ended up at the clinic door, this is suspect. Most reputable doctors have the drug shipped to them directly from the manufacturer. You cannot simply look at the drugs packaging and say, “That is or is not counterfeit.” Here are a few tips to help you avoid this problem:
- If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Unauthorized dealers often email/eblast/fax incredible deals. If it looks questionable, you can ask for a pedigree from the distributor, or contact the manufacturer. Most criminals will simply avoid these questions, reputable sources are happy to provide the information.
- Only buy FDA approved drugs. Drugs that are compounded by someone else’s recipe that tries to mimic the FDA product will not be held to the same sterile manufacturing standards, have their product tested for its safety and efficacy, nor will they be monitored to keep their products stored and handled in the way to keep them safe. Even with drugs that are coming from Canada, which are assumed to have the same standards as the U.S., it difficult to know if you are getting the real deal. Anyone can slap a Canadian Maple Leaf on their label or website and say they are Canadian. In fact, most of them are not. You have to check them out. All wholesale distributors in the U.S. must be licensed in each state to which they distribute. The FDA supplies links to investigate this under “FDA Drug Safety/Drug integrity/ Supply Chain Security…” Verifying licensing doesn’t guarantee a distributor is legitimate, but it goes a long way towards protecting patients.
- Inspect and double check. Look at the expiration dates, lot numbers, name of the active ingredient, and the routes of administration. Make sure the information is in English, and the information on the outside of the packaging matches what is written on the actual drug itself as well.
- Monitor side effects. If a product is acting differently than usual this should be a warning sign.
SO FOR PATIENTS… BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT ORDERING A “GREAT DEAL ON BOTOX OR FILLERS” ON THE INTERNET AND THEN TRYING TO FIND SOMEONE TO INJECT THEM FOR YOU. WE GET REQUESTS FROM PATIENTS ALL THE TIME TO INJECT SUBSTANCES THAT THEY GOT A DEAL ON FROM THE INTERNET. WE DO NOT DO THIS, AS IF THE PRODUCT IS COUNTERFEIT THE RESULTS CAN BE DEVASTATING. THERE RECENTLY WAS A SCANDAL WITH AN “onlinebotox.com” COMPANY THAT WAS TRYING TO SELL DISCOUNTED PRODUCTS DIRECTLY TO PHYSICIANS THAT DID NOT ORIGINATE WITH THE FDA APPROVED MANUFACTURER. AT DSADERMATOLOGY, WE TRY OUR BEST TO AVOID ANY PRODUCTS THAT DON’T COME DIRECTLY FROM THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURER. REMEMBER, A DEAL IS A DEAL UNTIL IT ISN’T!