Value of counterfeits seized: $16.9 million
Retail value: $25.2 million
Percentage of total seizures: 9%
Buying counterfeit drugs -- from prescription pills to over-the-counter medications -- can potentially be very dangerous, according to Randazzo. Most likely, those meds were not manufactured according to the FDA's standards and do not contain the proper amount of active ingredients, if any at all.
For example, one of the most popular counterfeits, Viagra, which is used to treat erectile dysfunction, could contain brick powder, flour and gypsum wall, according to John Clark, chief security officer of Pfizer which makes the drug. And chances are they were also not stored in sanitary conditions and could be contaminated -- in other words, you could end up worse off than you started.
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