Is Your Doctor Pulling a Botox Bait and Switch?

Jan. 2, 2013 - PRLog -- As of December 19, 2012, the Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning to more than 350 medical practices that they have, or may have, received doses of the drug commonly known as Botox that may be contaminated or otherwise unsafe. The drugs were purchased through a company called Canada Drugs and its subsidiaries, and have not been approved by the FDA. To minimize the risks inherent to administering non-approved drugs, the FDA has requested that these medical practices immediately cease the use of these products and other medical products that have been purchased through the aforementioned companies.

The purchase of drugs that have not been approved by the FDA can lead to many problems for practitioners and patients alike. The drugs purchased from these foreign manufacturers may be counterfeit or ineffective and may have been transported in a manner that can cause danger to patients. Furthermore, these drugs often ship without the mandated FDA information. This lack of information can lead not only to a lack of informed consent on the part of patients, but also to a lack of a necessary warning information or usage restrictions to those practices that make use of the drugs.

The preceding information has been issued to 350 practices across the United States five times between February 10, 2012 and December 19, 2012. Those medical practices that continue to make use of the drugs have been urged to make sure that all drugs purchased are done so either directly through the manufacturer or through a state-approved wholesaler. Any unknown supplies should be thoroughly vetted for reliability by checking with the appropriate state agency, and any unsolicited sales offers should be viewed with suspicion and proper care. Failure to do so can lead to significant legal and ethical complications for those practices that deal with such companies.

Notice of the danger in dealing with Canada Drugs and its associated companies has been sent to doctors in 39 states. The names of those doctors that have been contacted by the FDA can be found here: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/DrugSafety/DrugIntegrityandSupplyChainSecurity/UCM332894.pdf. If you know or believe that your doctor is engaged in the criminal practice of using non-approved drugs, you can contact the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations.

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