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Testing on an Adderall tablet from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, got here again constructive on Jan. 27, 2023. Pharmacies there are promoting counterfeit prescription drugs laced with illicit substances and passing them off as reliable prescription drugs.
Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Occasions by way of Getty Photographs
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Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Occasions by way of Getty Photographs
Testing on an Adderall tablet from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, got here again constructive on Jan. 27, 2023. Pharmacies there are promoting counterfeit prescription drugs laced with illicit substances and passing them off as reliable prescription drugs.
Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Occasions by way of Getty Photographs
Mexican pharmacies that cater to U.S. vacationers are promoting drugs that seem secure however are often laced with lethal fentanyl and methamphetamine.
That is the conclusion of new analysis that examined drugs bought legally in 4 cities in northern Mexico the place vacationers from the U.S. typically search low-cost well being care and prescription drugs.
“For drugs bought as oxycodone, we examined 27 and located 10 or 11 of them contained both fentanyl or heroin,” stated Chelsea Shover, a researcher on the UCLA College of Medication.
She stated the habits by retail pharmacies in Mexico places unsuspecting individuals at excessive danger of overdose and dying.
“After I see there are fentanyl drugs someplace that appear to be [prescription drugs], I do know there should have been individuals who’ve died from that,” Shover stated.
Her group additionally discovered drugs bought at Mexican pharmacies laced with methamphetamines.
Whereas these drug shops promote drugs to Mexican shoppers, Shover says their foremost prospects look like People.
“Comparable merchandise can be found at a a lot lower cost in Mexico, so People do journey to save cash.”
Two Democratic lawmakers despatched a letter to the U.S. State Division calling for a journey advisory to warn People of the hazard of buying drugs in Mexico.
“We needs to be completely very involved,” stated Rep. David Trone (D-Md.), one of many authors of the letter. “We’ve virtually 12 million People visiting Mexico yearly.”
In accordance with Trone, pharmacies boosting income with the high-risk follow are positioned in communities the place People journey looking for aid from high-cost prescription drugs bought within the U.S.
“There’s actually a pharmacy on each nook, they’re in every single place down there, as a result of the value of medication is cheaper.”
On Saturday, the Los Angeles Occasions reported State Division officers apparently knew in regards to the hazard posed by Mexican pharmacies as way back as 2019 however didn’t challenge a high-profile alert to vacationers.
In accordance with the newspaper’s investigation, at the least one U.S. traveler is thought to have overdosed and died after taking drugs bought at a drug retailer in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in 2019.
Rep. Trone stated if U.S. officers knew about unsafe drugs being bought at authorized shops in Mexico, they need to have warned vacationers sooner.
“We have heard nothing again [from the State Department] and it’s extremely irritating,” he added.
The State Division despatched an announcement to NPR saying it would not touch upon the letter from lawmakers.
On background, an official pointed to an advisory included within the State Division’s commonplace on-line details about Mexico that urges vacationers to “train warning when buying drugs abroad.”
“Counterfeit remedy is widespread and will show to be ineffective, the unsuitable energy, or comprise harmful substances,” the advisory reads.
There is not any reference, nevertheless, to the precise dangers of harmful medicine laced with fentanyl bought at authorized pharmacies.
Throughout a press briefing Monday, spokesman Ned Value stated American officers continually replace security advisories issued for Mexico.
“We’re all the time data to find out whether or not it’s crucial to maneuver our journey warnings in a single course or one other,” he stated.
Earlier this month, 4 People had been kidnapped by gunmen whereas touring to Mexico to hunt low-cost medical care. Two of them had been killed.
That case had already raised considerations in regards to the security of medical tourism within the nation.
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