GlaxoSmithKline and eBay Join Forces to Fight Against Fake Alli

Drug company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), popular for their breakthrough anti-obesity medicine Alli pills, has teamed up with eBay to ban online auctions selling counterfeit versions of its Alli weight loss drug. Early January of this year, it was discovered that some sellers sold fake containers of Alli. FDA, in response, has provided the public pointers on how to distinguish the fake from the genuine.

The two companies are also running an operation to caution consumers about the counterfeit products sold on online auction web pages other than eBay. Jack Christin, eBay’s associate general counsel for government relations, had stated that the site is taking out auctions of the Alli diet pills. FDA, in turn, made warnings last month about the dangers of purchasing Alli online after GlaxoSmithKline has claimed it had acquired several accounts of buyers purchasing counterfeit products in December of last year.

For interested buyers, here are the following differences of the fake Alli from the Alli, FDA approved weight loss capsules:

• The contents of the fake version are far different from that of the genuine drug; the former contains sibutramine, a substance known for causing heart problems.

• The counterfeit Alli drug does not contain the “sealed for your protection” phrase on the protective seals of its containers.

• The containers of counterfeit Alli pills display the month, day, and year of the expiry dates of their contents whereas containers of the genuine pills only show the month and year.