Botox made overseas has found its way into the U.S. disguised as a U.S. manufactured product, says the FDA. According to the watchdog's website, a counterfeit version of Allergan's cosmetic treatment Botox has shown up in the U.S. with packaging meant to make it appear real.
The products were marketed to consumers with names like "OnlineBotox" but were being marketed for rock bottom prices through "blast faxes". The counterfeit version may be legal in other countries for use, but the FDA says that because the supply did not come through the approved supply chain in the U.S., there is no way to guarantee quality or safety. Because Botox is a sterilized, purified version of the same toxin that causes botulism, it is imperative to store and distribute it using exact standards.
This isn't the first time in the past year that the FDA has targeted counterfeit versions of pharmaceutical drugs. While these counterfeiters tend to focus on the lifestyle drugs, including erectile dysfunction products or anti-wrinkle products like Botox, they have also started to tap into more lucrative markets like the cancer drug Avastin. The counterfeiters attempt to convince doctors that they are getting the same quality of product for rock bottom prices, putting patients in danger of serious health problems.
