Gilead warns of counterfeit HIV medication being distributed in US
pharmafile | August 6, 2021 | News story | Medical Communications |
Gilead have released a statement warning of tampered and counterfeit versions of its once-daily single tablet HIV treatment regimen Biktarvy and its HIV treatment and prevention medication Descovy in circulation within US drug distribution networks.
Distributors not authorised by Gilead to sell Gilead-branded medicine have sold these counterfeits to pharmacies where genuine Gilead bottles have been tampered with a counterfeit foil induction seal or label and contain incorrect tablets.
Working with the FDA, Gilead has alerted potentially impacted pharmacies to investigate the potential for counterfeit or tampered Gilead medication that may be within their recent supply.
Merdad Parsey, Chief Medical Officer at Gilead Sciences, said: “The safety of individuals taking Gilead medication is always our first priority. We are taking aggressive action to ensure that healthcare providers and people who rely on our medicines can confidently distinguish authentic Gilead products from counterfeit drugs.”
Counterfeit and tampered medicines can bring serious and sometimes life-threatening health risks to individuals. These medicines are not equivalent in quality, safety, and/or efficacy to genuine medicines. They often do not contain the correct medicine or amount of active ingredient and may also contain impurities. Additionally, these medicines may be produced in unsafe manufacturing conditions and travel through insecure supply chains.
In Gilead’s statement the company listed the following tips to help ensure safe the despense of their products:
- Authentic Biktarvy tablets are purplish-brown, capsule-shaped pills with “9883” on one side and “GSI” on the other.
- Authentic Descovy tablets are blue, rectangular pills with “225” on one side and “GSI” on the other.
- FDA requires that Biktarvy and Descovy are dispensed in original packaging. Confirm your dispensed 30-count bottle of Biktarvy or Descovy are received in bottles that are white plastic, with white plastic caps, and Gilead-branded labels.
- Confirm your Biktarvy and Descovy were dispensed from a pharmacy that sources Gilead medicine directly from Gilead authorised distributors. A list of Gilead’s authorised distributors can be found here.
There are millions of people living with HIV globally receive antiretroviral therapy provided by Gilead or one of the company’s manufacturing partners, and if an individual believes they have been dispensed a counterfeit and/or tampered Gilead medication they should immediately report the medicine to their doctor and pharmacy and Gilead Product Quality Complaints.
Kat Jenkins
