Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 31, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press thursday August 31, 2006 a3 top news counterfeit drug claim denied . Officials allege fakes shipped by Manitoba internet pharmacies by Paul Samyn y Oung entrepreneurs who pushed Manitoba to the cutting Edge of the internet pharmacy Boom have been accused of Selling counterfeit prescription drugs. The . Food and drug administration yesterday singled out the online druggists and warned Consumers about what it says Are unsafe drugs. The ramp and health Canada Are also investigating. The Fra said preliminary lab tests of intercepted shipments from two Mani Toba firms ? med plan prescription plus pharmacy also known As med plan global health ? found counterfeits of widely used drugs such As lip Tor and celeb Rex. Andrew Strempler is known to own or have a stake in both of the Compa Nies which Are based in Minnedosa. These allegations Are completely false Strempler said yesterday. ?. Drug companies along with the Fra Are really starting to target companies like he said his we have company regu absolutely no Early tests the drugs it Sells indication of and they Are the meth Odolo Safe and Reli Able. By of fads Strempler testing or the his University country of pharmacy pal Mark Rzepka origin. There is and their wives a potential this were among the Early entre pre May not be on nears in 2001 to the up and up create a Cross Border pre ? David Mackay a consultant for More ascription drug than a dozen Canadian Trade ? Selling online pharmacists cheaper Brand name drugs to uninsured and under insured americans ? once estimated to be Worth about $1 billion. While the Fra said its consumer Alert was focused on the . Market health Canada spokeswoman Jirina Vlk said that Agency will look into whether any of the drugs in question were sold to canadians. Ramp staff sgt. Steve Saunders would not comment other than to say the mounties have previously been in touch with the Fra. The fads crackdown on the Minnedosa based online druggists is a blow to the emerging Canadian Industry that has been dominated by Manitoba firms. Said the Fra in a news release counterfeit drugs May be toxic or contain doses that Are too Small to treat a med ical condition or so Large that they could endanger the health of the to Back up its warning the Fra pointed to an operation in August 2005 at new York Miami and los Angeles airports which found that half of the imported drugs intercepted from four selected countries were shipped to fill orders that Consumers believed were coming from Canadian pharmacies. Of the drugs being promoted As Cana Dian based on accompanying documentation 85 per cent actually came from 27 other countries around the Globe the Fra said. A number of these products also were found to be counterfeit. These results demonstrated that some internet Sites that claimed to be Canadian were in fact Selling drugs of dubious origin safety and . Warning cover popular products 1. Here Are the drugs that the Fra is warning May have been counterfeit. Lip Tor cholesterol disorders . Creator cholesterol disorders . Ezet Rol which is sold As zetia in the United states cholesterol disorders . Divan High blood pressure . Hyzar High blood pressure . Antonel osteoporosis in Post menopausal women . Nelium Gastro esophageal Reflux disease . Celeb Rex arthritis related pain . Ari Midex breast cancer . Pro Pecia male pattern baldness 2. Websites the Fra has flagged that Are operated by med plan or that have orders filled through med plan Are. . . . . . . . . . however advocates for the internet druggists Are casting doubt on the Fra allegations. Randy Stepha Chew a former employee with health Canadas drug compliance and inspection Section says the Fra release is inconsistent with the Way they normally warn the Public. Stepha Chew a pharmacist who has his own consulting company res pharma services says the Fra would nor Mally Issue specific lot numbers and other inventory details for any drugs it believed May pose health risks. They would not just generalize he said. Asked if he believes the Fra action May have More to do with the politics of . Opposition to Canadian firms filling prescriptions for americans Stepha Chew said it makes me David Mackay a consultant for More than a dozen Canadian online pharmacists shared Stepha Chew a scepticism. He pointed to the fads longstanding opposition to the Trade and says it has a pattern of trying to instil fear in the . Public about legitimate Canadian drugs. We have absolutely no indication of the methodology of their testing or the country of origin said Mackay. There is a potential this May not be on the up and the Canadian Industry has lost much of its steam in the last 18 months due in Large part to the Strong Canadian Dollar and blacklists by Brand name drug manufacturers that have driven Many inter net pharmacists to get their drugs from overseas suppliers. Strempler said the drugs his company Sells generally Are produced for Canada Britain Australia and new zealand. He refused to say from where the company ships. I hesitate to put that information out there because its another Way they tar get us he said. ? with files from associated press ;