FDA Warns Doctors of Counterfeit Botox

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), more than 350 U.S. medical clinics and doctors may have received counterfeit medications, including Botox made by foreign suppliers.

Botox is used to remove facial wrinkles and to treat several medical conditions, including cervical dystonia, a neurological disease that causes intense muscle contractions in the shoulder and neck. Botox is made out of the same toxin that causes botulism, a serious form of food poisoning.
The Botox doses were shipped from suppliers owned by Canada Drugs. These drugs have not been approved by the FDA and the FDA says it cannot assure that the drugs are effective or safe. Canada Drugs was previously linked to shipment of unapproved and counterfeit cancer drugs.
In February 2012, the FDA sent warnings to 19 medical practices that they had purchased a counterfeit version of the cancer drug Avastin. Since then, the FDA issued three similar warnings about counterfeit Avastin and its sister brand, Altuzan. Most of these drugs were distributed by Canada Drugs. Canada Drugs also sells counterfeit and unapproved drugs directly to U.S. consumers through thousands of websites. These websites continue to operate despite FDA warnings.
In the U.S., it is illegal for doctors to purchase medications from sources other than licensed U.S. pharmacies. Doctors who use unapproved or counterfeit drugs put their patients at risk of dangerous drug side-effects and deprive patients of appropriate treatment. However, counterfeit drugs are often purchased because of drug shortages or high drug prices.
If you have suffered an illness or injury as a result of treatment with a counterfeit drug, please contact a Dallas drug recall attorney.