Beware Of Fake Drugs Online, FDA Warns

Thinking of buying your prescription drugs online to save time and money? Think again, warns The Early Show's Dr. Emily Senay. The FDA reports that some online pharmacy sites are selling unsuspecting consumers pills that are counterfeit.

According to the FDA, they discovered that two Web sites were selling fake capsules of Xenical 120 mg, a drug manufactured by Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. (Xenical is an FDA-approved diet drug.)

The FDA report says: "None of the capsules ordered off the Web sites contained orlistat, the active ingredient in authentic Xenical. In fact, laboratory analysis conducted by Roche and submitted to the FDA confirmed that one capsule contained sibutramine, which is the active ingredient in Meridia, an FDA-approved prescription drug manufactured by Abbott Laboratories."

The FDA discovered that other Xenical samples from the bogus sites were composed of only talc and starch.

Roche says that the two Web sites that sold the fake Xenical were brandpills.com and pillspharm.com.

"Further investigation by FDA disclosed that these Web sites are two of 24 Web sites that appear on the pharmacycall365.com home page under the 'Our Websites' heading," the FDA reports. "Four of these Web sites previously have been identified by FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations as being associated with the distribution of counterfeit Tamiflu and counterfeit Cialis."

Here are some Web sites you will want to visit — they offer guidelines and tips for buying drugs online: