The FDA warned consumers that a product sold over the Internet as 'Generic Tamiflu' is fake and potentially harmful. The pseudo Tamiflu doesn't contain oseltamivir, the active ingredient found in Tamiflu. Instead, it contains cloxacillin, an antibiotic similar to penicillin.
Anyone with an allergy or other sensitivity to penicillin could suffer the same reaction from taking cloxacillin. The danger includes a sudden, life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis, which can trigger symptoms such as difficulty breathing, swelling of the tongue or throat, hives, dizziness, or loss of consciousness.
"A rogue Internet website marketing drug products may look like a professional and legitimate website, but may actually be an illegal operation," Commissioner of Food and Drugs Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. said in a statement. "Medicines purchased from websites operating outside the law put consumers at increased risk due to a higher potential that the products will be counterfeit, impure, contaminated, or have too little or too much of the active ingredient."
The drug purchased by the FDA over the Internet arrived in an envelope postmarked from India. It contained two foil-backed blister packages. Each package contained 15 yellow-and-tan capsules containing white powder. The foil backing is printed, and labeled in part, "Oseltamivir Phosphate 75mg. Capsules TM-FLU Capsules" and "Manufactured by: TRYDRUGS Pharmaceuticals PVT. LTD."
The FDA advises anyone possessing or finding any of these fraudulent Tamiflu drugs not to use them. Instead, contact the FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations by calling 800-551-3989, or by visiting the OCI website. (Click here.)
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