Fake Lipitor fooled thousands
In a clandestine laboratory
located in Tibas, north of San
Jose, 20 million tablets of
faked Lipitor - a cholesterol
reducer - were manufactured and
sent to the United States, where
unaware consumers spent some $8
million on them.
The distribution in the U.S.
began in 2003, but was not
detected until consumers
complained to the legal
manufacturer, Pfizer, about a
sour taste in the product, the
only difference of an otherwise
perfect copy, according to
experts.
The forgers were three U.S.
nationals and three Costa Ricans
who ran the operation here,
according to the FDA; but the
operation in Costa Rica -which
demanded a $3-million
investment- is part of an
international ring that also
manufactured the fake product in
Brazil.
According to FDA estimates, the
organization's earnings reached
some $25 million. While the
Costa Ricans were arrested here,
two other suspects were arrested
in the U.S., and a third one is
on the lam.
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