Comment by PhantomGremlin | Hacker News Reader

Comment by PhantomGremlin | Hacker News Reader

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Do you have evidence that defective drugs made it to customers?

I've ranted about this before on HN. The global pharmaceutical supply chain in a Cluster Fuck race to the bottom. Here are a few articles that Bloomberg wrote a few years ago:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-03-06/flies-foun...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-12-03/indian-lab...

IMO you're being deliberately naïve if you don't think that those sorts of manufacturing practices don't result in "defective drugs" reaching consumers.

Edit: here's a link to a Pfizer website. They make the claim that "VIAGRA is one of the most counterfeited drugs in the world." Do you expect us to believe that none of that counterfeit drug ever gets to consumers? https://www.viagra.com/getting/avoid-counterfeits

Counterfeit != defective

I agree though that those bloomberg stories indicate that defective drugs are in fact reaching consumers :(

Look at what Pfizer claims they found in counterfeit Viagra:

    Blue printer ink

    Amphetamines, also known as “speed”

    Metronidazole, a powerful antibiotic that could
    cause an allergic reaction, diarrhea, or vomiting

    Too much active ingredient (or not enough),
    which may cause you harm

    Binding agents, such as drywall, that prevent
    the tablet from breaking down in your system

And look what Pfizer claims they found in other counterfeit medications:

    Toxic ingredients, such as boric acid, floor wax,
    brick dust, rat poison, and road paint

    Ingredients that can have dangerous interactions
    with other medications you may be taking

    A completely different medication with
    potentially harmful side effects

Yes I know that Pfizer is hardly a disinterested party. But I still get the impression that there's a lot of defective product out there.

Not just counterfeit, but indisputably defective!

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