FDA warns public against fake Alaxan FR, Medicol Advance, Buscopan, Kremil-S, and Loperamide
The Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a warning to healthcare professionals and to the public on Thursday against the purchase and use of verified counterfeit medicine brands.
According to FDA, health professionals and the public must be vigilant about the rampant sale of fake drug products because of the possible harmful health effects it may cause. The public is advised to only purchase medicines from FDA-licensed drugstores and retailers to assure the authenticity of the products. Pharmaceutical company Unilab also shared tips on how to spot fake medicines from authentic ones.
As per Advisory No.2022-1615, FDA shared photos comparing authentic tablets with counterfeit or fake ones of the following drug products:
Below are physical characteristics you should be checking to know if your Alaxan FR capsules are authentic:
Capsule appearance
Fake capsules appear paler than the actual color
Foil color
Authentic Alaxan FR blister packs come in bright orange color. Fake Alaxan FR capsules have a paler foil color.
Unilab Seal Mark
The Unilab seal watermark should be rendered as a watermark and can only be seen at certain angles. In fake capsules, the seal of Unilab is clearly visible and appears sark.
How to spot fake Medicol® Advance softgel capsules
Below are physical characteristics you should be checking to know if your Medicol® Advance softgel capsules are authentic:
Capsule appearance
Authentic Medicol Advance capsules are dark red in color and oblong-shaped. Fake capsules are bright red and spherical and triangularly shaped.
Foil text
The foil elements of authentic softgel capsules are horizontally aligned while fake capsules’ foil elements are vertically aligned and appear bright red in color.
Expiry date
In authentic capsules, the expiry month is in letter format (ex. January 2022, February 2022, etc.) while in fake capsule, the month is in number format (01/2022, 02/2022).
Foil pattern
For authentic capsules, the foil has a diamond pattern, while fake capsules are housed in foil with a dotted pattern.
Hyoscine N-Butylbromide (Buscopan®) 10mg Tablet
According to FDA, batch numbers in counterfeit Buscopan tablets are not valid and the appearance is not comparable with the standard features of the registered product.
FDA also warned establishments against purchasing, distributing, and selling counterfeit products, which is a violation of RA 9711 or the Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009 and RA 8203 or the Special Law on Counterfeit Drugs.
FDA and Unilab advise their customers to report sellers of fake Bioflu and Biogesic tablets in the market through the following channels:
Unilab Hotline and Email
Email: info@unilab.com.ph
Landline: (02) 8-864522-1
FDA Hotline and Email
Email: report@fda.gov.ph
Center for Drug Regulation and Research: (02) 8-809-5596