One of the most serious problems that have not been solved in the field of health is drug theft. To put in context, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that 10 percent of the drugs that are marketed on the planet are apocryphal. In addition to being a crime, it also puts the integrity of those who consume them at risk. In addition, it is not a situation that is foreign to our country because precisely today a health alert was published about the counterfeiting of a coagulant.
First of all, it is necessary to point out the imminent danger that this practice represents. Counterfeit medicines are estimated to be responsible for causing between 300 thousand and one million deaths each year worldwide. In addition, they also cause other damage such as making treatments less efficient and are even related to drug resistance.
To return to the central issue, the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) issued a health alert for the counterfeiting of a coagulant. Specifically, these are three falsified batches of the drug Xarelto (rivaroxaban), which is why it invites those who administer or consume it to review the identification numbers to rule out any health risk.
The official bulletin mentions that inconsistencies were identified in three false batches of the drug Xarelto, an anticoagulant produced by Bayer de México, which can be verified by any user or business.
How to identify fake versions?
In the case of batches BXJG6V2 and BXJG6V3, they are considered counterfeit and adulterated if they contain 14 tablets because it is half the number of the original medicine. The packages also present anomalies in colors and fonts.
Boxes of the two fake products and how to find the lot number are shown below:
🧵 Batches BXJG6V2 and BXJG6V3 are considered ✖️ fake and adulterated if they contain 14 tablets, since it is half of those that the original medicine has.
The packages also present anomalies in colors and fonts. 👇 pic.twitter.com/IRM2Igmih6
— COFEPRIS (@COFEPRIS) February 18, 2022
About lot 765289, the packaging indicates that it has 100 capsules; however, the original medicine does not have a presentation with that amount, so the packaging and its contents are considered false.
These alerts are issued with the aim of preventing health risks, but they should not be generalized for all medicines, especially if they do not meet the characteristics indicated.
What to do if you spot one
Given the above, Cofepris asks those who have these medicines to verify them, and in case of having counterfeit products, suspend their consumption immediately, since, by not knowing the origin of their components and the manufacturing conditions, they represent a health risk.
In case of having consumed the counterfeit product and presenting any adverse reaction or discomfort, Cofepris makes available the report email [email protected]
The establishments and distributors must verify the existence in the warehouse, and if they have any of these counterfeit lots, they must immobilize and suspend the commercialization and distribution immediately, as well as denounce it in this link.