Warning over fake Propecia from online pharmacies

Quantum Cat

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saw this in the news today:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-33183330


Dangerous counterfeit and unlicensed medicines worth nearly £16m have been seized in a record haul by the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Slimming pills, drugs for erectile dysfunction and cancer medicines were taken in a series of raids.
The MHRA said criminals were making money at the expense of people's health and it was a growing problem.
Nearly 1,400 websites were closed as part of the operation.
Seven suspects are now under investigation.
Criminals involved in the illegal supply of medical products through the internet aren't interested in your health, they are interested in your money​
The seizures were part of Operation Pangea - an international clampdown on the illegal trade in fake medicines by 115 countries.
In the UK, 6.2 million doses or medical devices were seized, worth £15.8m. Internationally, £51.6m of goods were taken.
Items seized in the UK included:

  • two million doses of erectile dysfunction drugs
  • slimming drugs - some of which can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes
  • narcolepsy pills
  • abortion pills
  • diabetes medication
  • hair-loss drugs
  • cancer medicines, particularly for breast and prostate
  • medical devices, including fake condoms and dental laboratories
"It's amazing to me that people will buy those types of medicines over the internet," said the MHRA's head of enforcement, Alastair Jeffrey.
The drugs are not always used for their medical purposes.
Breast cancer drugs are used by some body builders to reduce their breast tissue, for example.
Many packs of narcolepsy pills were seized en route to universities, where students take them for "cognitive enhancement" - to stay awake around exam time.
Mr Jeffrey added: "Criminals involved in the illegal supply of medical products through the internet aren't interested in your health, they are interested in your money and are able to get this by selling you a potentially dangerous product or by stealing your bank details.
"To protect your health, visit your GP, get a correct diagnosis and buy medicines from a legitimate High Street or registered pharmacy which can trade online."
It is thought that people buying the drugs are made up of those who think they are buying genuine drugs and those who are getting hold of drugs a doctor would never prescribe.

The "vast majority" of the drugs came from India and China - neither country was involved in Operation Pangea.

It is unclear what the total size of the illegal drugs market in the UK is.
The MHRA said counterfeit medicines were the greatest source of profit "across the whole criminal spectrum" but insisted the UK was "way ahead of the game".

Mr Jeffrey said criminal gangs were moving into the field because, compared with illegal narcotics, sentencing was low.
"It's two years, it's not a police priority, you can use the internet as a facilitator, the risk is low and the profits are very high," he said.
He added there were "some indications" that terrorist groups were involved in "pharmaceutical crime" in the Middle East.

Basically always get Finasteride from a source you know is legitimate, and don't buy from overseas pharmacies, especially from third world countries like India, because you just don't know what you're getting. At best they may do nothing, at worst they could harm you
 

resu

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Legit finasteride from the pharmacy here costs like 13 Euros and if you chop it up in quarters it lasts around 8 months, if you're in EU I don't know why anyone here would order from places like India. Only 1mg Propecia requires a prescription.
 

abcdefg

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Are doctors interested in your health or just making money themselves? Sometimes doctors dont prescribe drugs that people want so they go that route. A bodybuilder buying a drug to reduce breast tissue is that a bad thing? They are buying it for a reason just not from a doctor.
I think anyone with common sense knows lots of fake drugs go around on the internet and a lot of times I see higher prices online than in actual physical stores just because they are cosmetic or life style drugs like v**** they charge a lot more than its worth.
 

Quantum Cat

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Are doctors interested in your health or just making money themselves? Sometimes doctors dont prescribe drugs that people want so they go that route. .

yes many doctors are very loathe to prescribe 'unnecessary' meds for fear of consequences - we see that all the time with finasteride. Men with obvious signs of male pattern baldness are refused finasteride because the Dr is usually pig ignorant about finasteride and male pattern baldness. Then people resort to obtaining the drug from illegitimate sources, but this is a problem for the reasons outlined in that article - the proliferation of fake/dangerous unregulated meds.

But even if you get hold of genuine drugs, self-medicating is rarely a good idea unless you happen to have a high level of expertise or have done a lot of research on the subject, and even then it's risky without the approval of a qualified medical professional.

The key is to find good, competent and open-minded doctors to reason with.
 

abcdefg

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Im just saying other than the prescription there is often not much benefit to seeing a Doctor because of how little anyone really knows about male pattern baldness anyways. finasteride itself is pretty safe and docs know little so other than a fake drug risk there is not much risk to self medicating for male pattern baldness. It gets lumped in with all the other stuff that all have varying risks though some more dangerous than others.
 

Agustin Araujo

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Thank you for sharing Quantum Cat.

This is why it's just best to go to your GP and get a real prescription for non OTC medicine at your local pharmacy. However, I don't blame people who buy medication overseas when their doctor wouldn't prescribe what they need. Like that example you gave when doctors refuse to prescribe Finasteride to men with obvious male pattern baldness because they're ignorant about the condition. And then from there that's when people resort to obtaining meds which they need from illegitimate sources. Then all sorts of problems could happen.
 

yid_1984

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generic finasteride is so cheap anyway to produce..doesnt make sense to counterfeit it

minoxidil on the other hand I believe can be faked and for good margins
 
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