People who buy fake internet drugs could be risking their lives and supporting terrorism, according to an editorial in the February issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice.
Editor-in-Chief Dr Graham Jackson, a UK-based Consultant Cardiologist, has called for greater public awareness of the dangers and consequences of the counterfeit drugs market, which is expected to be worth £55 billion by 2010.
"Harmful ingredients found in counterfeit medicines include arsenic, boric acid, leaded road paint, floor and shoe polish, talcum powder, chalk and brick dust and nickel" he points out.
"In one scheme, Americans buying fake Viagra on the internet were actually helping to fund Middle East terrorism, unknowingly jeopardising the lives of men and women serving in their own armed forces."
The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency estimates that nearly 62 per cent of the prescription only medicines offered on the internet, without the need for a prescription, are fakes.
"Alarmingly these include fake drugs that could have devastating consequences, like counterfeit medication for potentially fatal conditions like cancer and high blood pressure. Others can include no active ingredients or harmful ingredients like amphetamines."
Although some internet pharmacies are legitimate, a significant number are illegal and often operate internationally, selling products of unknown content or origin.
"Counterfeit drugs may originate from many different countries, where governments have little or no controls in place, and be then imported into other countries without being inspected" says Dr Jackson.
"In 2004 Pfizer investigated one Canadian online pharmacy and discovered that the domain name was hosted in Korea and registered in St Kitts. Orders placed on the web were dispatched in a plain envelope from Oklahoma City with a non-existent return address."
The challenge of combating these criminal and potentially life-threatening activities is a major concern, he says. However efforts are being hampered by a lack of resources, manpower, adequate legislation and coordination between countries.
Dr Jackson stresses that raising public awareness is essential, as lives are clearly at risk.
"Patient groups need to be motivated to educate men and women about the dangers of buying medication outside the healthcare system" he says. "Prescription only medicines are just that, so being able to buy them without a script is a sure sign of illegal practice.
"The best way to avoid counterfeit drugs is to use a reputable and regulated pharmacy that dispenses with a legal prescription."
http://www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell
Comments
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November 20, 2009 by Anonymous, 6 days 10 hours ago
Comment: 46371
r-HGH as a Body Building Enhancement Drug
Human growth hormone (HGH) has been used by body builders for years to promote physical enhancement.
When a person's pituitary glands release human growth hormone, it causes their liver to release IGF-1. IGF-1 is at its highest in childhood, and, as a person ages, the level of HGH their body produces declines. Normally, after puberty, your body stops growing new muscle cells. The number of muscle cells you have for the rest of your life is genetic, and the most you can do is increase the size of these cells through weight training or steroids. However, by using HGH, you can actually grow new muscle cells. This allows you to reverse genetic dispositions and achieve an ideal muscle density.
Human growth hormone raises your energy level and metabolism, causing you to both feel more active and burn fat. In fact, the only weight that you will gain while taking HGH is weight from lean muscle. Unlike steroids, the weight gain from HGH is slow -- normal weight gain results are one to two pounds of lean muscle every two to three weeks. With steroids, you gain mostly water weight; with human growth hormone, you gain only lean muscle mass. Human growth hormone also forces your body to burn fat for energy. This means that body builders can eat a lot of food when necessary and not gain unwanted weight from fat.
As a body building drug, HGH increases lean body mass, shortens recovery time between workouts, and enhances overall performance with less risk of detection than other performance-enhancing drugs. HGH strengthens joints and ligaments and heals damaged tissue.
Other body building benefits of human growth hormone include increased protein synthesis abilities, an increase in the amount of insulin a person can use effectively, and an increase in the amount of anabolic steroids a person can use effectively.
One myth that surrounds the use of human growth hormone in body building is that it causes an extended belly. This is not actually caused by HGH itself; rather, it is caused too frequent doses at too high levels. Taking HGH as directed by your pharmaceutical supplier will not cause such disfigurement.
Human growth hormone increases strength, promotes healthy weight gain, promotes fat loss, and decreases muscle loss during off periods. The side effects of using HGH as a body building drug are minimal and rare. Users claim that they achieve desired results. HGH does not cause abnormal bone growth (Acromegalia). After a person's period of natural growth in childhood, the ends of their bones fuse and quit growing.
http://www.thairejuvenation.com/anti_ageing.htm
November 20, 2009 by Anonymous, 6 days 10 hours ago
Comment: 46370
r-HGH Treatment as an Anti-Ageing Drug
Human growth hormone (HGH) has been called a miracle anti-ageing drug -- it's widely used in alternative clinics for the elderly as a means of rejuvenation. Human growth hormone is an effective anti-ageing drug due to its ability to return an adult's hormone levels to those of their youth.
HGH is a natural substance produced by one's pituitary glands at its highest levels during childhood. The higher levels of HGH in a person's body, the more IGF-1 their body produces. IGF-1 is responsible for both healing damaged cells and developing new ones.
As a person ages, the amount of human growth hormone their body produces declines. This means that one's body is less able to repair their damaged cells. Cell damage is what causes ageing.
By taking human growth hormone, you can force your body to repair the damaged cells that cause it to age. Some of the most notable areas of ageing that can be reversed with HGH are discussed below:
Skin Damage:
The sun, UV rays, and cigarette smoke are all damaging to skin cells. Unfortunately, many of these environmental elements are unavoidable. Human growth hormone works to repair these damaged cells. The result is smoother, less-wrinkled skin.
Bone Deterioration:
A human's bones weaken with age. Age induced bone deterioration is the main cause of the detrimental bone fractures common to the elderly population. Human growth hormone not only strengthens bones, it can even repair damaged bone cells. The represents a potential cure for the worst type of bone deterioration -- osteoporosis.
Memory Loss:
Damaged brain cells are responsible for memory loss and can lead to Alzheimer's disease. HGH works to heal damaged brain cells, preventing age-related mind deterioration.
Because of their ability to heal damaged cells, human growth hormone drugs are considered the most effective anti-ageing drugs currently on the market. Additionally, HGH works to keep you healthy by promoting weight loss and muscle gain naturally.
Human growth hormone increases strength, promotes healthy weight gain, promotes fat loss, and slows down the ageing process. The side effects of using HGH as an anti-ageing drug are minimal and rare. The anti ageing HGH dosage is very low.
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November 20, 2009 by Anonymous, 6 days 10 hours ago
Comment: 46369
At Exongenics Pharmaceuticals we believe good health is vital to all and finding sustainable solutions to everyday health care challenges of our ever changing and demanding world is our long term goal.
That’s why we at Exongenics Pharmaceuticals are committed to being a global leader in health care and to helping change millions of lives for the better through providing access to safe, effective and affordable medicines and related health care services to our customers.
We have a leading portfolio of medicines that prevent, treat and cure diseases across a broad range of medical areas, and an industry-leading pipeline of promising new products in areas such as oncology, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
To ensure that we deliver the optimum value our patients and customers need and our shareholders deserve, we are focused on continually improving the way we do business; on operating with transparency in everything we do; and on listening to the views of all of the people involved in our health care decisions.
We know that we can best ensure that people everywhere have access to innovative medicines and quality health care through working in partnership with everyone from patients to health care providers, managed care organizations to world governments and non-governmental organizations.
http://www.thairejuvenation.com/
November 20, 2009 by Anonymous, 6 days 10 hours ago
Comment: 46368
Thai-rejuvenation is an international company based in Bangkok and London. We work very closely with Thailand’s top hospitals and surgeons to offer a truly competitive and safe r-HGH treatment through our extensive and close working relationships with all of our medical staff.
All patients for r-HGH treatment are medically screened under strict medical conditions and only offered this treatment if their tests show an imbalance or deficiency in hormones and a private and full medical prescription is then dispensed to obtain the required r-HGH treatment.
r-HGH is the new holy grail of the medical modern world and hence this treatment is really sought after in all parts of the developed world.
Many studies show that by increasing the body's level of HGH, it may be possible to "turn back the clock," reversing signs of ageing and returning the appearance and vitality of youth.
The excitement over this treatment and its benefits has resulted in Thai-rejuvenation offering this treatment under strict medical supervision in Thailand at a hugely discounted cost so everyone eligible for this treatment can get access to its benefits.
The current prohibitive costs of this treatment can reach upwards of $20,000 to $30,000 annually in the USA and hence our location leads us to the beautiful country of Thailand known universally as the land of smiles.
We are based in Thailand to reduce our cost base and hence all of our savings are passed to you, our customers making this treatment affordable to everyone.
Thailand also makes an ideal location regarding post treatment recuperation and its warm and idyllic climatic conditions combined with the warmth and hospitable culture of the Thai people makes it an experience to remember.
Online Pharmacy
February 9, 2009 by Anonymous, 41 weeks 3 days ago
Comment: 34379
this is a good one of viagra. http://www.medics4u.com
Responsible patients can solve this problem
January 28, 2009 by Anonymous, 43 weeks 1 day ago
Comment: 34052
People buying drugs over illegal channels are responsible for any risks they take on purpose. They also help finance mafias and other criminal organisations apart from terrorist groups, which are simply criminals like the rest.
Of course, if the CIA sells genuine Viagra to terrorists in Afghanistan, why does anyone complain about trafick with these drugs ? This was news a short time ago.
The individual consumer and official organisations must act like mature people, this solves the problem. All internet providers must block this kind of spam with publicity for viagra and other medicines.
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