Food and Drug Agency alert selling drug for attention deficit false
Some websites are offering fake versions of Adderall, a treatment for attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADHD) whose supply is currently scarce in the U.S. health regulators, warned the country. The Food and Drug Administration said they knew of at least two cases in which people received fake versions of 30-milligram dose of the drug with the wrong active ingredients, some that treat acute pain and attention problems.
Counter Mats | Counter Mat
Counter Mats | Counter Mat
The Food and Drug Administration said "The fake pill is ineffective and could be harmful. Consumers should be extra cautious while purchasing medications from online sources.
Agency said, "The popular stimulant, manufactured by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and other companies, has been scarce for the last year, so it becomes a temptation for dealers websites and fraudulent.
Teva informed the FDA of the counterfeit pills after learning of the problem of two people who bought the drug online. The FDA said that it is unknown how many people in total have received the wrong medicine or what Web sites are involved.
Adderall is manufactured with a controlled substance which means that it is addictive and can lead to abuse.
The DEA regulates how much active ingredient can be distributed to manufacturers per year. In order to prevent diversion to drug misuse and students who want to increase their attention to improve their test results.
Laboratories are complaining that the annual allowance is not sufficient to meet the demand of the drug. In 2010, there were more than 18 million prescriptions for Adderall, 13.4 percent more than in 2009, according to IMS Health.
ADHD is one of the most common childhood disorders, with an average of 9 percent of children 5 to 17 years diagnosed annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of Disease.
The FDA said the shortage of Adderall is due to problems getting the active ingredients that make the drug. Typically, the drug "Adderall" has four active ingredients but FDA founds in test that counterfeit versions are only two ingredients which is usually used to treat pain.
The fake pills often have mis-spellings on the packaging and are white and unmarked. The real version of Teva is orange or peach and is engraved with "dp" on one side and "30" on the other. False Adderall also comes in packaging sheet, instead of the bottles using Teva.