counterfeit drugs

The CDC and FDA are investigating reports of patients in nearly a dozen U.S. states being injected with counterfeit Botox.

Fake Botox has sickened patients nationwide. Here's what to know — and what to avoid

5:01am April 19, 2024

by Rachel Treisman

Public health authorities are investigating reports of counterfeit injections sickening 19 people across nine states. Experts say getting bona fide Botox starts with finding a trustworthy provider.

This photo combo provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shows an authentic Ozempic needle (left) and a counterfeit needle (right). The FDA said it has seized "thousands of units" of counterfeit Ozempic, the diabetes drug widely used for weight loss, that had been distributed through legitimate drug supply sources.

Health & Safety

FDA says watch out for fake Ozempic, a diabetes drug used by many for weight loss

12:03pm December 23, 2023

by Dustin Jones

Thousands of fake units of the drug have been seized by the FDA, which is working alongside the manufacturer to test the counterfeit products for safety concerns.

This photo provided by the U.S. Attorneys Office for Utah and introduced as evidence in a 2019 trial shows fentanyl-laced fake oxycodone pills collected during an investigation.

The share of U.S. drug overdose deaths caused by fake prescription pills is growing

5:15pm September 06, 2023

by Joe Hernandez

The share of overdose deaths involving counterfeit pills doubled between 2019 and 2021, according to the CDC. Victims were often younger, Hispanic and had misused prescription drugs in the past.

Health & Safety

Fake And Faulty Drugs: A Problem No One Wants To Talk About

7:00am May 19, 2018

by Susan Brink

A new book explores why getting a properly formulated medicine is hit-or-miss in much of the developing world — and why the issue is massively underreported.

Employees from Ivory Coast's health ministry raid a shop selling counterfeit drugs at the Adjame market in Abidjan earlier this year.

Fake Drugs Are A Major Global Problem, WHO Reports

6:42pm November 29, 2017

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Fake, substandard and expired medications are sold everywhere, from Canadian websites to pharmacies in Niger. Controlling them, says the World Health Organization, will be no small feat.

These pills were made to look like Oxycodone, but they're actually an illicit form of the potent painkiller fentanyl. A surge in police seizures of illicit fentanyl parallels a rise in overdose deaths.

Illegally Made Fentanyl Seems To Be Fueling A Spike In Overdoses

3:23pm August 25, 2016

by Katherine Hobson

Fentanyl is showing up in heroin and counterfeit pain pills, and users may not even know they're taking the extremely potent drug.

The PharmaChk is a bit like a litmus test for drugs: You pop in a pill at one end, and in 15 minutes, a number appears on a screen telling you the drug's potency.

One Man's Quest To Combat Counterfeit Drugs — With A Suitcase

10:30am August 11, 2015

by Ina Yang

Fake and shoddy medications kill about 100,000 people around the world each year. Many "drugs" are no more than just chalk or water. An engineer in Boston is trying to change that.