Hank Investigates: Drug Deception

Aids patient Rick Roberts took the shot his doctors prescribed, but his symptoms got worse.

Rick Roberts, AIDS Patient
"It hurt and stung and I had never experienced that before."

Transplant patient Tim Fagan took the anemia medication his doctor prescribed, but his condition got worse.

Tim Fagan, Transplant Patient
"In agony just extreme pain."

It wasn't that their doctors were wrong, it’s that the drugs they got were fake. And our investigation found that whether you fill your prescription at the pharmacy or order online, instead of getting drugs, you may be getting deceived.

Carmen Catizone, National Assoc. Boards of Pharmacy
"One of the biggest problems with counterfeit drugs is that people may not even know they've received them."

What’s more, our investigation found that the state and federal systems to protect you from such deceptive drugs are filled with loopholes and overwhelmed.

Bill Hubbard, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
"It’s certainly potentially scary."

At FDA headquarters -- clear evidence. Investigators let us see their disturbing collection of counterfeit and illegal medications.

Bill Hubbard, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
"This gives an example of how ruthless counterfeiters can be."

This is a real AIDS drug, this is fake. This is real birth control patch, this is fake. This real hormone could help you get pregnant, this fake could kill you. All were seized from drugstores, wholesalers and online pharmacies and officials know there are more out there.

Carmen Catizone, National Assoc. Boards of Pharmacy
"It’s a dangerous situation."

Here's how it happens, though real drugs start in the FDA-controlled pristine labs of pharmaceutical companies, their next stop is often a wholesaler and then another one, and another one.

Problem is unscrupulous wholesalers may also be buying fake products from other countries, where investigators have raided filthy pill mills that use dangerous ingredients.

And though the FDA and Customs know millions of such questionable drugs are pouring into U.S. post offices, only a few can be inspected or seized.

Bill Hubbard, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
"We don't really have a way to ensure the safety of these imported drugs."

And at any point, to increase their inventory and their profits, criminals can replace real medicine with counterfeits, repackage, re-label and resell.

John Theriault, VP Pfizer
"Counterfeit pharmaceuticals right now are a serious global problem and it’s a problem that’s getting much worse."

On the web we easily purchased Celebrex and Lipitor without a prescription. But here’s what arrived, plain brown boxes postmarked Thailand.

And inside -- box and instructions in Thai, and pills taped in bubble wrap, products illegal to sell in the U.S.

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Investigative Reporter
"How much does that worry you?"

John Theriault, VP Pfizer
"You don't know how the product is stored and shipped, you don’t know where it comes from, you don’t know what's in it."

Tim and Rick got their dangerous counterfeits at their local drug stores, where they assumed they were safe.

Rick Roberts, AIDS Patient
"There are peoples’ lives at stake."

To protect patients from dangerous drugs, experts say states must strictly monitor drug wholesalers.

Carmen Catizone, National Assoc. Boards of Pharmacy
"It’s critical, because if you don’t inspect those facilities, you don’t know what’s happening."

But we found in Massachusetts, local wholesalers are only inspected by the state when they open.

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Investigative Reporter
"Why is that?"

JD Coffey, Mass. Board of Pharmacy
"It is not required by statue or regulation at current."

And records we obtained prove that it has left some un-inspected for five, 10 up to 16 years!

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Investigative Reporter
"How would you know what’s going on inside those places if you haven’t inspected?"

JD Coffey, Mass. Board of Pharmacy
"It’s a new emerging issue that has come to the marketplace and we are trying to respond with our best ability."

So how can you tell which drugs are real and which aren’t? Without elaborate testing, experts know, you can't. The feds want drug manufacturers to put sophisticated authentication systems on their products, but that's years away.

Now as Tim Fagan slowly recovers, he views his new medication with some apprehension, his Mother not only worried about her family, but everyone else’s.

Jeanne Fagan, Victim's Mother
"If it could happen to us, it could literally happen to anyone."

State officials now say that they are planning to start spot inspections of local wholesalers soon. Meanwhile, if your medications look different or are no longer effective, check with your pharmacist immediately.

For more information on counterfeit drugs go the FDA Web site.