”Made in China” Ping.
(Please FReepmail me if you would like to be on or off of the list.)
Posted on 09/22/2007 8:17:35 PM PDT by JACKRUSSELL
The whitewashed “scientific” factory looks distinctly out of place on the edge of a peasant village where desperately poor farmers eke out a living selling ears of corn by the roadside.
But the choice of a remote location in the Henan province of China had been deliberate. “Out here, nobody bothers us,” said its owner Gabriel Zhang.
That is because Zhang, a 32-year-old devout Roman Catholic, is engaged in a modern Chinese business: the illegal counterfeiting of pharmaceuticals.
Over the past month Zhang has been involved in negotiations with a UK wholesaler, offering to manufacture fake drugs for people with serious and life-threatening illnesses.
He promised perfect reproductions. “We copy every single detail. We could produce $100 bills but we wouldn’t do that because it is illegal,” he boasted.
To prove that he could produce the lifesaving drugs he provided the wholesaler with counterfeit Viagra which had been manufactured in his factory.
What he didn’t know was that the UK wholesalers were undercover reporters for The Sunday Times investigating a new Chinese counterfeiting scandal. The Viagra turned out to contain “overdose” levels of the active ingredient.
And yet his factory had been preparing to move into the production of drugs for illnesses such as heart disease and cancer where the dosage is critically important.
It is a trend that has alarmed regulators. Many Chinese forgers are switching to the more lucrative market of lifesaving prescription medicines......
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
“The Viagra turned out to contain “overdose” levels of the active ingredient.
Just like all the spammers advertise, right?
Reports like this are sure becoming more frequent since some major retailers began offering $4 prescription drugs.
I wonder where WalMart has their $4 prescriptions made? Anyone know?
That is because Zhang, a 32-year-old devout Roman Catholic, is engaged in a modern Chinese business: the illegal counterfeiting of pharmaceuticals.
Oh no … you mean that I might be taking lead pills for my high blood pressure? LOL!
Tracking back to the manufacturer is futile. Even name brand (not generic) drugs supposedly made by major companies does not necessarily mean your getting the real thing. The distribution ladder is a maze.
China. The same place Lilly, Pfizer etc. make theirs.
LOL! Thanks for the laugh.
My thoughts exactly. Of course, we know the answer.
My take is he isn’t a devout Roman Catholic at all but he told his prospective customers he was because he thought it would help his negotiations.
The reporters naturally believed everything they were told.
At these prices who would bother with a counterfeit pill? If you have a fake printing press, are you going to make fake 100 dollar bills, or fake one dollar bills? For more info on the subject you can see the Wikipedia entry on the subject.
As an aside, most retail pharmacies will rip you off on generics. Yes, they will charge you more for the brand name but the mark up on branded drugs is only 20-30%. It can be 300-400% on generics. The best way to empower yourself is to go the the pharmacy section on costco.com and look up the price of the drug. Insist that your pharmacy meet or beat that price, or lose you as a customer. Fred Meyer will meet costco prices, Rite Aid will not
Oh-yeah, like it's not illegal to make and sell fake medicine! So, now we have to worry about our prescriptions!
“I wonder where WalMart has their $4 prescriptions made? Anyone know?”
What does Wal Mart have to do with it, Hillary?
Thanks for the info on where the generic drugs are mostly made. And the costs. I was wondering about that, how can WalMart sell these pills so cheap?
The man may die, but the woman will definitely be satisfied.
Adds new meaning to the saying, "I feel the big one coming." All I can picture is the old man in the comedy "Sanford and Sons"
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.