Testing of Imported Drugs and Phytochemicals

[PhilipSZacarias]

Some members of this forum are purchasing drugs and phytochemicals manufactured overseas in places such as India and China. Although there are first rate manufacturers in these countries, there are also many unscrupulous ones and counterfeit drugs as well. The only way to confirm what is being received is to have the drugs and phytochemicals analyzed by an independent testing laboratory in North America. Considering that contaminated or fake drugs would be very deleterious to our goals of evaluating adjuvants for mCRPCa then testing is necessary in order to protect ourselves. I was planning to undertake the search for a laboratory, but I wanted to gauge the level of interest in the community and whether it would be feasible for a group of members to share the cost of testing. Cheers, Phil

[PhilipSZacarias]

Buy a large quantity, perhaps several kilos, test and distribute? But that would require a centralized operation - a kind of buyers club, I hink. Cheers, Phil

[BerkshireBear]

I have asked this question of several doctors and several hospital lab folks over several years. The answer has always been that they don't know of a lab that does such testing. I guess that's a fair response as they are just part of "the system" that's in business of dispensing what insurance plans and big pharma make available. Yet... Several of our support group have bought off-shore Cialis and Viagra and wondered if we could get it tested. What we receive appears to be legitimate product just branded and packaged for non-USA markets. But then it is painfully obvious that fraudulent vendors seem to have the resources to make packaging look legitimate. So, yes, if you can identify a lab that can support small sample testing I'm sure there would be interest.

[PhilipSZacarias in reply to BerkshireBear]

Thank you BerkshireBear.

[Tall_Allen]

Get US supplements tested too, while you're at it - it's the Wild West.

[sammamish]

You would probably have to do a combination of GC mass spec and/or HPLC with mass spec for identifying major claimed constituents and organic contaminants. Then a toxic metal profile with plasma emission. Finally, a bacterial/fungal microbiological screen. This gets VERY expensive, very fast. Also, should find a lab that has a good attorney. I recall testing samples back in the 90's when I operated a clinical lab. Found a really bad bacteria contaminated liquid supplement. Gave the report to the physician who was also a holistic publisher. He was promptly threatened with overwhelming litigation by the producer.

[GeorgesCalvez]

If you can buy drugs from one of the European generic manufacturers or one of their trusted resellers then they are a lot cheaper than US supplied products and the manufacturer has done all the due diligence for you.

I am constantly amazed by how much people in the USA pay for things like metformin, etc. The stuff is often made in the same factory in China, etc, imported in bulk and put through a tableting machine, but when it comes out of the plant in a box it is a lot more expensive in the USA!

[D_Alden]

This is one testing company: valisure.com/analysis/ I have no experience with them or what it is that they test for besides contaminants. They won't test stuff you get from Medicare or Medicaid though, which eliminates all of the meds I have been given.

[BerkshireBear in reply to D_Alden]

Valisure, according to their website, does not offer the sort of testing we were discussing and hopeful of finding. They are a dispensing pharmacy and their extra testing is applied to the drugs which they import to sell you based on Rx which you (or your doctor) sends them. As I read them, their game is to import bulk drugs from the least expensive sources then test them thoroughly to assure that the import is as described and not contaminated.

[PhilipSZacarias in reply to BerkshireBear]

Thank you, BerkshireBear. Appreciated.