Fake Medications Sold Online: Health Alert

Mexico City — The Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) has issued a sanitary alert regarding the illegal commercialization of 12 medications on websites, e-commerce platforms, and mobile applications. These products could be counterfeit, adulterated, or illegal.

According to the agency, these products compromise patient efficacy and safety and generate unknown adverse effects. They are identified as being offered without a mandatory prescription, lacking sanitary registration, having prices below market value, originating from unverified sources, or presenting labeling in a language other than Spanish.

The Listed Medications and Their Deficiencies

The medications flagged by the authority are:

• Oncaspar 750 U/ml, for having labeling in a language different from Spanish.
• Epclusa, for being falsified batches with irregularities.
• Encicarb 1K, for not being registered with the sanitary authority.
• Aclasta, for having labeling in the Turkish language.
• Arasamila, for being falsified and lacking the active ingredient.
• Sutinat 50, for lacking registration.
• Polivy 140 mg, for having labeling in English.
• Survanta, for having its registration revoked and being illegally commercialized.
• Yervoy, for being falsified with irregularities in its packaging.
• Opdivo and Xtandi, for being sold outside of official channels.
• Dupixent, for having signs of manipulation and therefore being falsified.

Serious Health Risks for Patients

These treatments are prescribed for a diversity of diseases, including hepatitis, anemia, osteoporosis, arthritis, dermatitis, and cancers such as leukemia, lung cancer, kidney cancer, and prostate cancer. The alert states that they could lack the active ingredient or contain harmful substances.

Official Recommendations for the Public

The authority recommends not acquiring medications through unauthorized channels, especially if they require a prescription, have a low price, feature foreign labeling, or do not have a sanitary registration.

Consequently, the public is urged to report suspicious offers through the Cofepris sanitary complaint portal. If the medications have already been used, the agency advises immediately suspending their use and consulting a health professional.