Viagra manufacturer warns about counterfeit tablets

By : John Nixon | Published : Monday October 3, 2011 | Posted in : Men's Health | Comments

Pfizer Inc. is working in conjunction with a pharmacy standards group in the US to create awareness about fake versions of Viagra from unreliable sources.

Viagra is currently a patented medication, which means that a generic version of the medication is not legally available. However, even though Viagra is protected under patent law until 2012, it’s still one of the most widely counterfeited medications. As these tablets aren’t being manufactured legally, there is a high risk that these tablets could be dangerous or may not work like they are needed to. This is why Pfizer, the manufacturer of Viagra, is teaming up with industry standards authorities in an effort to warn patients about the dangers of generic alternatives.

"Counterfeit medicines are often produced in unsanitary conditions by people without any medical or scientific background," said Patrick Ford, head of Pfizer’s world wide security in the US, quoted in the Wall Street Journal.

However, it’s not just Viagra that’s being sold illegally. Generic alternatives of some of the other medications produced by the company, such as the Alzheimer’s treatment Aricept, the blood pressure medication Norvasc, the antidepressant Zoloft and the painkiller Celebrex are also being sold illegally.

The World Health Organisation estimates that in 2010 sales of illegal medications reached a staggering $75 billion, a 90% increase since 2005.

The Food and Drug Administration in the US have warned that people should only purchase medications from trustworthy sources when they are purchasing medications online. Therefore sites that are claiming to sell generic versions of Viagra should be avoided as well as sites that sell medications without requiring a prescription or a consultation.

Add Comment