TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: A Dangerous Internet Drug Mistake

A Dangerous Internet Drug Mistake

Reuters News Wire (reuters@telecom-digest.org)
Fri, 16 Feb 2007 17:10:49 -0600

A drug used to treat schizophrenia was mailed to some consumers who
had ordered other medications via the Internet, and several users had
to seek emergency treatment because they could not breathe,
U.S. health officials said on Friday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that instead of receiving
the products they ordered, some consumers were sent the prescription
drug haloperidol. Several patients had to seek emergency care after
taking the pills, the agency said without citing a specific number.

Sold legally as Haldol by Johnson & Johnson and in other generic
versions, the anti-psychotic drug is know to cause muscle spasms,
muscle stiffness, agitation and sedation.

Buying medication online has been controversial.

Sales of drugs from other countries over the Internet is illegal in
the United States, and the FDA has repeatedly warned consumers not to
buy them that way. At the same time, supporters say reputable
pharmacies abroad can offer safe medications at a cheaper price.

In the latest incident, the agency said, packages were postmarked from
Greece but it was not known where the pills were manufactured.

Consumers had been trying to order specific drugs online, including
Sanofi-Aventis' Ambien, Pfizer Inc.'s Xanax, Forest Laboratories
Inc.'s Lexapro and Ativan, sold by Baxter International Inc. and
Biovail Corp.

The agency said those who have received medications from an Internet
seller should compare them to photos of the faulty orders, which can be
seen on the FDA's Web site at
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/photos/haloperidol.html.

"If the tablets received from an Internet seller resemble those in the
photos and haloperidol was not specifically ordered, do not take these
tablets," the agency said.

Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited.

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