TuEsDaY Topic ` Counterfeit Ingred.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2006
TuEsDaY Topic ` Counterfeit Ingred.
3
Tue, 05-08-2007 - 8:46am

What do you think of this? Do you know where your medications are coming from? I didn't. :(

Last time we had a problem with counterfeit ingredients from China, it seemed to affect the animal food supply in the U.S. and Canada. Now it appears toxic medicine in Panama traced to China. Those Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart and possibly Costco $4 and $10 med programs rely heavily on low cost medicines from China. Let us hope these companies are working seriously on quality control.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18518915/

Beijing business sold counterfeit chemical that killed dozens of people

NEW YORK - A Chinese factory was the source of a counterfeit chemical that killed dozens of people in Panama after it was used in human medications, a newspaper reported.

The New York Times reported in its Sunday editions that records and interviews revealed the poison was first sold by Chinese companies that exported it as 99.5 percent pure glycerin. The source of the chemical was then obscured as middlemen in Spain and Panama removed the names of their suppliers from shipping documents — a practice used by distributors to ensure continued business.

Panama’s government health agency used the substance to produce medicines, not realizing that it was diethylene glycol, a chemical cousin of antifreeze that can cause kidney and neurological damage if ingested.

The Times said investigators in four countries identified Taixing Glycerine Factory as the maker of the poison. That company’s certificate of analysis said the shipment was 99.5 percent pure, the Times reported.

The sale of the syrup was brokered by a unit of a state-owned business in Beijing, the article said. From there, it went to a distributor in Barcelona, Spain, and on to a dealer in Panama.

No one in China has been charged with causing the Panamanian deaths. An unidentified Chinese drug official told the Times that investigators tested the Taixing Glycerine Factory’s product and found it contained no glycerine. But a spokeswoman for the drug agency said the company had not broken any laws.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 01-28-2004
Tue, 05-08-2007 - 9:48am
Caroline,
Good morning. Great topic for today. We see that there are other possibilities of terror coming into the US so greatly. I for one think this is only the beginning. People around here where I live have boycotted China for years. Its interesting to know how many things we use comes from there. I am cautious when it comes to medication. However over the counter meds are in arms way also. Unfortunately there is some of what we can do but not so much on a global scale. People need to be careful. And start becoming aware of what is going on. Thanks for bringing this up. It does hit home and people need to know.
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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2006
Tue, 05-08-2007 - 5:35pm
Where is Advil made? Anyone know

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-03-2006
Wed, 05-09-2007 - 3:18pm
It is quite a problem in some countries. Counterfeit and adulterated drugs can be as high as 60% of the drug supply. Fortunately, in the U.S. the problems affect less than 25% of the drug supply. Still, that means up to 1/4 of the medications being taken include ingredients that are not what was supposed to be there. A group of universities is working together to use pharmaceuticals research to combat counterfeit and adulterated drugs. That's a good thing, because it's a problem that's more likely to grow than to shrink in the current global economic climate.