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Fake Cancer Drug Hits U.S. Market

NOT GOOD

FDA investigating counterfeit Avastin.

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J.B. Reed, Bloomberg News / Getty Images

The pharmaceutical company Roche is telling hospitals that there’s a fake version of its cancer drug Avastin floating around American markets. This was discovered after counterfeit vials were shown to have none of the active ingredients that combat cancer. The FDA is investigating, though it’s unknown just how much of the fake drug is on the market—and whether any patients have been using it. In regard to the packaging, the fake drugs apparently don’t look much like Avastin: some of text is in French, and the numbers are all wrong. The incident is part of a growing trend, once thought to be confined to developing nations, of fake drugs in the U.S.

Read it at The Wall Street Journal