eBay is being flooded with dangerous counterfeit OTC drugs - the weight loss drug Alli in particular | Buying

brettglass · 2024-06-25T10:12:56.812000Z

I recently tried to buy a bottle of the weight loss drug Alli, an enzyme inhibitor which inactivates the enzymes that digest fat. I searched for "Alli 170" to find the most economical size and bought a bottle. When it arrived, I discovered that there were misspellings on the (fake) product box; that there was no package insert; that the manufacturer's authenticity seals on the box and the bottle were absent; and that the capsules themselves were not marked as the manufacturer said genuine capsules would be. I tried again; the second bottle I ordered was fake as well. Both sellers had faked their locations, claiming to be in dramatically different locations than those from which the packages were shipped. I managed to get refunds, but then MORE fakes appeared on the site, some obvious just from the listing (the fake packages, which are being mass-produced, have the wrong proportions). At this moment there are at least a dozen bogus listings for the counterfeit products, many sharing the same photos. This is not the only fake drug for sale on eBay, but is perhaps the most dangerous. According to the FDA, there was a rash of fake Alli for sale on eBay and other auction sites back in 2010 - see http://www.cbsnews.com/news/see-the-fdas-photo-gallery-of-alli-diet-drug-fakes-its-triple-trouble-for-meridia/ - and due to a recent price increase it is happening again. But I have found NO way to contact eBay and have it look into this problem. (eBay's social media staff on Twitter acknowledged my report but did absolutly nothing.) The fake capsules (I did not dare to take one) are likely filled with a dangerous stimulant that can sometimes cause people to lose weight but also causes heart problems. Does eBay care? Is it worried about getting sued? (It should be.) How to reach someone who can do something?

Discussions

eBay is being flooded with dangerous counterfeit OTC drugs - the weight loss drug Alli in particular | Buying | eBay Community