Table 3.
Drug alerts relating to falsified medicines
| Number | Medicines | Year | Formulation | Recall level | Stated problem/defect description | Class of drug alert (1–4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salmeterol 25 μg/fluticasone propionate 250 μg (seretide 250) | 2009 | Evohaler | Pharmacy and wholesaler | A reduced patient dose | 2 |
| 2 | Sensodyne original and sensodyne mint in 50 mL tubes | 2007 | Toothpaste | Caution | Counterfeit toothpaste contains diethylene glycol (nephrotoxic and neurotoxic poison) | 4 |
| 3 | Clopidogrel 75 mg (Plavix)* | 2007 | Tablets | Pharmacy | Not likely to pose an immediate risk to patients. (parallel imported product) | 1 |
| 4 | Bicalutamide 50 mg (Casodex) | 2007 | Tablets | Patient | 1 | |
| 5 | Clopidogrel 75 mg (Plavix)* | 2007 | Tablets | Pharmacy | 1 | |
| 6 | Olanzapine 10 mg (Zyprexa) | 2007 | Tablets | Patient | 1 | |
| 7 | Atorvastatin 20 mg (Lipitor)* | 2006 | Tablets | Pharmacy | 2 | |
| 8 | Atorvastatin 20 mg (Lipitor)* | 2006 | Tablets | Pharmacy | 2 | |
| 9 | Atorvastatin 20 mg (Lipitor) | 2005 | Tablets | Pharmacy | 2 | |
| 10 | Sibutramine 15 mg (Reductil) | 2004 | Capsules | Patient | 2 | |
| 11 | Tadalafil 20 mg (Cialis) | 2004 | Tablets | Patient | 2 |
*Separate incidents of the same drug in the same year.