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The hair loss treatment business is a big business—a multi-billion-dollar industry, to be exact. Because hair loss is an ugly fate anyone wants to get over with fast and easy, crooks take advantage of this.
So from the numerous products for hair loss offered virtually anywhere, it is hard to sort out the authentic from the counterfeit.
Fake prescription medicines are unfortunately part of the everyday menu when people are ill. That is no news. The criminals are still out there in hiding. Worse, the Internet has made their jobs easier. Fake drugs have been sold like hotcakes throughout the web—including hair loss medications. Now, even physicians themselves cannot exactly identify counterfeit prescription drugs from the legit ones.
It is not the quality that makes these drugs repugnant. It is in the fact that they could contain hazardous substances, the wrong ingredients, (e.g., boric acid, floorwax, chalk, starch, etc.) and such other contaminants. They could not only seriously injure a person, they could kill.
According to a 2009 British survey, 50% to 90% of the medicines bought online are counterfeit. Most of these drugs are lifestyle drugs—that is, including products for hair loss. Global sales of fake drugs have reached £45 billion by 2010. In Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Administration reported counterfeit hair loss drugs that were most forged in low-income countries—and the numbers are staggering.
While purchasing online is easier and faster, one should never be so trusting. Rogue sites are riotous online. Consumers should only shop from sites which are accredited by the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS), a regulatory body over online pharmaceutical businesses. There are only 28 VIPP-accredited online pharmacies to date. Consumers should be suspicious if a site doesn’t look lawful (i.e., no government seal or accreditation).
Checking the label and the drug before taking it is always imperative. If something seems lacking in the label such as the manufacturing information and the ingredients present—or that the packaging is poor—chances are they could be counterfeit. But if the product appears authentic enough, they could only vary in taste, smell, or size. More importantly, these drugs usually come in cheaper price tags. So if the drug is suspiciously cheaper, the consumer should think twice before purchasing it.
Fake medicines put consumers and their families at risk, let alone for restoring hair. To avoid greater risks, they should think twice about purchasing drugs online. This is not limited to products for hair loss. Consumers should be vastly aware of these modes of operation online.
