FDA warns of fake online H1N1 drugs

William Atkins
Sunday, 18 October 2009 19:53

Science - Health

According to the WebMD article Beware Fake Swine Flu Drugs, FDA Warns, FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg stated, "Medicines purchased from web sites operating outside the law put consumers at increased risk due to a higher potential that the products will be counterfeit, impure, contaminated, or have too little or too much of the active ingredient.”

Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) and Relenza (zanamivir) are the only two drugs approved by the FDA to treat H1N1 flu (swine flu).

Both are required to be purchased through a medical professional’s prescription—and are NOT available over the Internet without a doctor’s prescription.

Within the FDA web release, “The FDA urges consumers to only purchase FDA-approved products from licensed pharmacies located in the United States. Consumers should contact their health care provider if they have any questions or concerns about medical products or personal protective equipment.”

To learn more about buying drugs from the Internet, go to the FDA website “Buying Prescription Medicine Online: A Consumer Safety Guide.”

To learn more about the H1N1 flu, go to the FDA website “FDA 2009 H1N1 (Swine) Flu Page.”

The FDA also stated that it routinely purchases and analyzes drugs available on the Internet to determine if they are "real" drugs that are legal to be purchased in the United States.