Fake medicines can vary drastically. Some are comprised of totally useless components to the user and at worst, the person will be out of pocket. Others however, can be highly dangerous and pose serious, deadly risks to that person’s health. Sometimes the fake tablets/capsules, etc can have too much of the actual ‘active ingredient’, sometimes they have nothing at all of the ingredient(s) they are meant to have and some fake medicines have alarmingly been found to contain toxic substances such as rat poison. The problem of counterfeit medicine is now a global problem. The production and distribution of fake Viagra in particular, is a highly profitable enterprise for those involved in it. During a recent raid on a Chinese facility, investigators discovered fungus growing all over the walls. In Ecuador, Montreal, Columbia, and Hungary, fake Viagra has been found to contain boric acid, wall paint, sheet rock, and ‘speed’, respectively. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that up to 1% of medicines available in the developed world are probably counterfeit. This number then rises to roughly 10% globally. They also estimate that in certain areas of Asia, Africa and Latin America, counterfeit goods can form up to 30% of the market. Counterfeiting can apply not just to 'lifestyle' medicines, including erectile dysfunction and weight loss medicines, but also to 'lifesaving medicines', such as those that are used to treat heart disease, cancer and other serious illnesses. Even more worrying is that these fake medicines are often expertly crafted inside dirty, grotty warehouses by crooks who make them look almost identical to the real thing in every way possible. Some counterfeit Viagra tablets have been known to contain blue printer ink in an attempt to make them look like the genuine Pfizer-made blue diamond tablets . In addition, they are also packaged in high quality boxes with a phony hologram on the box in another effort to deceive the end-user. Occasionally, only laboratory tests will segregate fake goods from the genuine article. “We can’t tell quite often until we get it into our lab and we test it chemically” said Patrick Ford of Pfizer Global Security. Ford and fellow Pfizer investigators decided to test the integrity of many online pharmacies, ordering their own Viagra tablets from 26 different pharmacies. Incredibly they found 81% of the pills to be counterfeit. Despite the concern this may cause you, we can assure you of security, confidentiality, and peace of mind at Medical Specialists Pharmacy. Established in 1994 and becoming the UK's first legal online clinic in 2001, we are now the first One Stop Online Pharmacy & Doctors. We provide our patients with genuine branded medication only, available with or without a prescription, or browse our chemist shop for a wide range of other products such as condoms and weight loss medication. We now offer even lower prices on Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, Retin-A Gel, Dianette, and much more. Brian Donnelly, a former FBI agent, is now Director of North American Security for Pfizer. He has further spoken out about the dangers of counterfeit drugs. “When you push the button and order something online you are playing Russian roulette”. He further added “Almost everybody who buys medication online thinks they are getting the real product and thinks they are getting a deal. The problem is they don’t know what they’re getting. We’ve seen as many as 50 of our products counterfeited in more than 100 countries around the world”. With so many so called ‘online pharmacies’ now on the internet, it is becoming increasingly difficult for consumers to distinguish between an official registered Pharmacy who are selling genuine medication, to a fictitious ‘Pharmacy’ on a website expertly crafted together by criminals as an efficient method of distributing their dangerous and fake pills. Here are some tips and things to look out for when trying to determine authenticity: . A registered Pharmacy will have the GPhC green cross logo together with it’s Pharmacy number. This number can be checked to see if it does actually exist. . The company registration and VAT number should both be clearly stated on the website. Both of these are a legal requirement. . Contact details for the Pharmacy should be listed on their website. These include things such as company address, telephone/fax numbers, email address(es), etc. . Request recommendations from friends, relatives or co-workers. Alternatively, browse online forums to view suggestions or comments from other Web users. . Check for licensing of the doctors and pharmacists with any website. Always buy from a registered UK online Pharmacy which has details of its doctors and pharmacists available for you to see. . After you receive your goods, check the packaging and look for the manufacturer’s hologram stickers on the box, lot numbers etc, to establish authenticity.