If you're not careful, the prescription you take could be a phony. Now Congressman Mike Rogers has proposed legislation to dole out stiffer penalties to counterfeit drug producers. Each time a pharmacist fill's a prescription, there's a 10% chance that the pills they pour are fakes.
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, (R) Brighton: "We've seen it with HIV treatments, with cancer treatments. This is a problem we must step up to the plate soon and solve."
Polly Cove, A Lansing Pharmacist, says counterfeit drugs are a growing problem, stemming from an age-old motive.
Polly Cove, Pharmacist: "The people who are making these counterfeit drugs are in it for the money."
According to a study by the World Health Organization, fake drugs are a billion dollar industry that's putting many in danger.
Polly Cove: "There's a lot of drugs that people's lives depend on, and even just a few days off of a drug could cause death, certainly could cause great harm."
And you'd be surprised at what goes into fake pills- paint, plaster, obviously not ingredients meant to heal. While Polly says her pharmacy sticks to one manufacturer, she still hopes she's never given one of her patients fake pills without knowing it.
Polly Cove: "Before a few years ago, I had total faith that what the bottle said is what the bottle is."
The truth is you can't always avoid fake drugs, but here are some safety measures you can take- get to know your pharmacist and know their buying practices. Also, make sure your pharmacy is licensed. They're more likely to buy their products from a reliable source. Finally, if something seems strange, for example, you're pill is the wrong color, call your pharmacist before taking the medicine.
