Counterfeit Avastin: FDA Finds Another Fake Version of the Cancer Drug

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning the healthcare industry and patients that a second counterfeit version of the best-selling cancer drug, Avastin, are circulating in the United States. The fakes are labeled as the Turkish brand of the medication, called Altuzan, but they lack the active ingredient.
 
The FDA says that any packages or vials with the lot number B6021 are counterfeits and urges doctors to stop using the drugs immediately.
 
Avastin is an injectable medicine used to treat cancer and is administered to patients in clinics, hospitals, and doctors’ offices. The counterfeits were made abroad and lack the key ingredient, bevacizumab, which fights cancers of the colon, lungs, kidney, and brain.
 
A distributor licensed in the United Kingdom that does business as Richards Pharma, Richards Services, Warwick Healthcare Solutions, and Ban Dune Marketing Inc. imported 120 packs of the fake pharmaceuticals from Turkey. All of packets have been shipped to the United States, although they arrived here through different supply channels.
 
Typically counterfeit drugs are more of a concern for developing countries that do not have stringent regulations. For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 30 percent of drugs sold in Asia and Latin America are fake. However, the problem has become increasingly prevalent in the United States as pharmaceutical supply chains span the globe. A recent congressional report notes that over 80 percent of the active ingredients in American pharmaceuticals are made overseas.
 
“This situation is a reminder that that the pharmaceutical industry is dealing with new business environment in which their supply chains are not secure as they perhaps once were,” states Diane Miskowski, MPH, Business Development Manager at EMSL Analytical, Inc. “At EMSL, we help companies deal with these new concerns in the industry and offer a wide variety of cutting-edge pharmaceutical testing services in our cGMP and ISO 17025 compliant laboratory.”
 
For more information on EMSL’s testing services, please contact EMSL at (800) 220-3675, visit www.EMSL.com, or email info@EMSL.com.
 
About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider of pharmaceutical, consumer product, environmental, industrial hygiene, food and materials testing services to professionals and the general public. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations, as well as state and federal regulating bodies. Please visit our website for a complete listing of accreditations.

 

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EMSL Analytical, Inc.

(1) 1-800-220-3675

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