As prescription drug prices continue to go up many consumers are still scrambling to find a way to control their out of pocket expenses. The importation of drugs from Canada, although somewhat abated due to the Medicare Pharmacy program, is still being used by thousands of people everyday. Unfortunately, the FDA has uncovered a serious threat to the health and welfare of those using websites that have orders filled by Mediplan Prescription Plus Pharmacy or Mediplan Global Health in Manitoba, Canada. The FDA is investigating reports that many of the drugs being sold to US consumers are counterfeit versions, which are illegally manufactured by unlicensed producers with no oversight by any governmental agency or organization.

Some of the websites being investigated which are operated by Mediplan are: www.RxNorth.com; www.Canaidiandrugstore.com; Rxbyfax.com; www.Northcountryrx.com; www.Canada-pharmacy.com; www.My-canada-pharmacy.com; www.NLRX.com; www.Canampharmacy.com; www.Canada-Meds-For-Less.net; and www.Canadian-safe.com.

To date the following drugs purchased from the above websites some have been found to be counterfeit: Lipitor, Diovan, Actonel, Hyzaar, Ezetrol (known as Zetia in the U.S.), Crestor, Celebrex, Arimidex, and Propecia.

If you have ordered any of the above drugs from any of the web based Pharmacies mentioned above it is strongly suggested that you do not use them as they may be unsafe (all these sites are still operating and open for business – even with the FDA’s findings).

For that matter, last year, the FDA conducted a sting operation at the airports in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. What they found was that even though consumers thought they had ordered from Canadian Pharmacies, based on accompanying documentation, 85 percent actually came from 27 other countries around the globe, with several of these drugs being counterfeit. What this showed is that although being sold as “Canadian” by the websites, they were actually selling drugs of dubious origin, safety and efficacy.

Counterfeiting drugs is illegal for good reason. Not only does it defraud consumers but upon examination these drugs have been found to contain unknown, ineffective, or harmful ingredients. Some have tested to be toxic or contain doses that are too small to treat the medical condition they were prescribed for, or so large they could even cause the death of the user.

An additional concern voiced by the FDA in January of 2006 is the confusion of drug brand names. Many of the drugs with names that are the same or similar have completely different active ingredients which could cause consumers to take the wrong medication for their condition, for example – in the U.S., “Norpramin” is the brand name for an anti-depression drug containing desipramine but, in Spain, the same brand name, “Norpramin”, is used for a drug that contains omeprazole, a treatment for stomach ulcers.

Another popular drug “Flomax” is a brand name for tamsulosin, a treatment for an enlarged prostate, while in Italy, the active ingredient in the product called “Flomax” is morniflumate, an anti-inflammatory.

The FDA has found 105 U.S. brand names that have foreign counterparts that look or sound so similar that consumers who fill such prescriptions with foreign pharmacies may receive a drug with the wrong active ingredient.

One would hope that the pharmacies importing these drugs for export to the U.S. would be conscience of the name brand differences, but all it takes is for one slip up and your perception for “Ambien”, a U.S. brand name for a sleeping pill might be substituted with “Amyben”, a drug product containing amiodarone, used to treat abnormal heart rhythms, and you could find yourself in serious trouble.

There is no question that something has to be done about the cost of prescription drugs here in the United States, and hopefully something will happen in the near future which will bring much needed relief to the millions of seniors who spend thousands of dollars each year on drugs. But taking a gamble and ordering drugs from outside the Country is a risk that no amount of savings can counter.

When the Chinese government raided a counterfeit drug operation last month they confiscated 60 tons (yep tons!) of counterfeit “Viagra” pills. Now that’s something to stand up and take notice of. As we boomers demand more of “better living through pharmaceuticals” there will always be someone looking to make a quick buck by ripping off legitimate companies and the unsuspecting consumers – like us.

Currently they only way you can protect yourself is by having your prescriptions filled at your local pharmacy with domestically produced drugs or at least imported to the U.S by the named manufacturer. You can’t tell by just looking at a pill if it is the real McCoy or not. The only way you can determine if it’s counterfeit is through extensive laboratory testing. So why risk it? Please make sure you know where your prescriptions come from and be very careful if you do decide to order from the internet. Your life could very well depend on it!

Fred L. Goldenberg is a Certified Senior Advisor and the owner of Senior Benefit Solutions of Michigan. He is a founding member of the Senior Resource Alliance of Northern Michigan.