The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices warns that two more counterfeits of Xarelto have been found in England. A distributor had brought the counterfeit drug onto the market; it was a Polish-Slovakian product. Two weeks ago another fake was found. The drug is prescribed to patients as a preventive measure against blood clots in the brain, to treat deep vein thrombosis and to prevent pulmonary embolism. That's why it's very important to be able to distinguish the original from the fakes.
Xarelto distinguish fakes from the original
The packages of the counterfeit medicines that have appeared are marked with real batch numbers. The expiry date of 09/2020 is also stated on the packaging of the film-coated tablets. At first glance, the medicine is confusingly similar to the original, but upon closer inspection several differences can be found. On the one hand, the fake can be recognized by the missing or very light perforation lines, whereas on the original these are clearly visible. Furthermore, the counterfeits are heavily printed with the Bayer logos, while on the original the logo can only be recognized if you hold the package at an angle.
No Xarelto counterfeits found in Germany
No Xarelto counterfeits were currently found in Germany, but the dealer still hadall medicationsTo be on the safe side, recalled, checked and repacked. The distributor Orifarm spoke out on this issue and assured its customers that it has no counterfeits and that it has not supplied the counterfeit medicines to England.
Counterfeit medicines are a billion-dollar business. Now the new EU directive on counterfeit protection is intended to protect patients. According to the directive, all prescription preparations should be labeled with special safety features. This means pharmacists, patients and doctors can easily identify counterfeits. It remains to be seen whether these preventive measures will produce results. In the last few years alone, counterfeits of expensive medications such as Herceptin and Omeprazole have made headlines across Europe. The price of counterfeit products is high: patients have to wait a long time for the medicines or pay twice for them.
