Of course, the news regarding counterfeit Botox is shocking1. The most important take away points in the U.S Food and Drug Administration announcement include the admonition to secure your supplies from reliable sources and to take heed of the specific signs of counterfeit product.
But this event reminds me to warn TDD readers of another problem which is lurking out there. Namely, when your patients, usually without your advice and consent, go online to buy medications on the cheap. Beware of counterfeit or inferior products sold by disreputable internet “pharmacies, “particularly from Bangladesh, China, India, Pakistan and Korea. It may sound like the right product, but can be devoid of active, below or above the proper concentration, or use suboptimal dilutants, preservatives or solubilizers.
Remind your patients about this regarding low-cost medicines acquired online from foreign sources: if it’s too good to be true, then it’s probably just that.
Ted Rosen, MD, is a Professor of Dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and the Medical Editor of the Dermatology Digest.
- FDA. “Counterfeit Version of Botox Found in Multiple States.”https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/counterfeit-version-botox-found-multiple-states
