Counterfeiters have been selling fake medications, especially Adderall, in Mexican pharmacies, some of which have been laced with methamphetamine and other potentially lethal adulterants.
An investigation by the Los Angeles Times found that dozens of pharmacies in Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta were selling tainted medications, especially Adderall and Vyvanse. Both are used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), diagnoses of which have risen considerably among adults in the past few years, according to the CDC.
This diagnosis surge comes alongside the rising epidemic of obesity, with ADHD being linked by researchers to higher BMIs due to those diagnosed with the disorder purportedly tending to lack impulse control and being susceptible to binge eating.
Manufacturers of counterfeit pills have been taking advantage of a two-year shortage of Adderall and other medications resulting from high consumer demand and supply chain issues, as previously covered by The Dallas Express.
A study published earlier this year by researchers at the University of California Los Angeles found that counterfeit tablets were turning up in Mexican pharmacies. As many as one in four drug stores in popular American tourist destinations in Mexico sold fake Adderall and Oxycodone laced with meth and fentanyl, as previously covered by The Dallas Express.
Since then, one of the study’s authors, Chelsea Shover, said the problem has worsened because counterfeiters have improved their operations.
Whole bottles of counterfeit medications turned up in the research team’s follow-up study, donning labels with lot numbers, drug identification codes, expiration dates, and legitimate brand names, such as Sun Pharmaceuticals and Teva Pharmaceuticals. Some even had anti-tamper seals.
“It’s really bad to find out that pharmacies are selling whole bottles of fake medication, and clearly an effort has been made to make them look legitimate,” said Shover, according to the LA Times.
LA Times reporters found similar results during their own investigation. Visiting a drug store chain called Súper Farmacias del Pueblo, they found a bottle of 50-milligram Vyvanse priced at around $200. While the bottle and label appeared legitimate, the pills themselves were missing the engravings “S489” and “50mg.”
When the reporters contacted the purported manufacturer, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, to check the lot number, its representatives said it was false.
With organized crime rings, including Mexican drug cartels, believed to be responsible for counterfeit medications, experts suggest that the rise in near-perfect packaging is alarming.
“This is clearly escalating, increasing the quality of the fakes,” said Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, according to the LA Times. “That also suggests a systematic component — like the cartels. You wouldn’t have this consistency in the packaging if you didn’t have a big actor behind it.”
Mexican authorities have conducted dozens of raids on drug stores this year, yet the widespread availability of counterfeit medications continues.
“I personally wouldn’t be purchasing narcotic medications of any kind in Mexico,” Keri Blakinger, an investigator with the LA Times, said in an interview, according to KERA. “All of the testing that we did, the fakes were limited to narcotics, meaning opioid painkillers and ADHD stimulant medications.”