6 ms·

I do not trust Amazon with this type of product at all. Their lack of ability or interest in stopping counterfeits now fills me with wary about products that a

by ProAm 9y ago

I do not trust Amazon with this type of product at all. Their lack of ability or interest in stopping counterfeits now fills me with wary about products that are important to me.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
doughj3 9y ago
Can't wait for the "comingled inventory"
- krapp 9y ago
  You ordered blue pills, you got "blue pills." What more could a consumer possibly want?
  - malandrew 9y ago
    Just wait until Amazon starts selling generic viagra. Don't know where I first heard it but "Any sufficiently advanced spam is indistinguishable from content".
    - krapp 9y ago
      I hate to say it but that's probably the only way we'll get competitive drug prices in the US.
draw_down 9y ago
Good point, but on the other hand people die because drugs that should be inexpensive cost too much.
paxy 9y ago
They definitely have an interest in stopping counterfeits if it makes them liable for injuries or other lawsuits (e.g. fake chargers, cables, hoverboards, eclipse glasses).
- Jemmeh 9y ago
  This year they had to recall a bunch of eclipse glasses though.
- Someone1234 9y ago
  Amazon continues to sell the "SoClean CPAP Cleaner" even going so far as to stock it out of their own warehouses and offer Prime shipping. This is a product which has been pulled from several CPAP vendors, likely due to the potential danger[0] posed by leaving Ozone in the CPAP and its ineffectiveness as an actual cleaner[1]. There's also no health warnings on the product and it makes misleading claims ("Destroys 99.9% of CPAP germs"). This product is particularly dangerous because CPAP users are particularly vulnerable to breathing problems potentially caused by Ozone exposure. [0] https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ozone/default.html https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ozone/default.html [1] https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/ozone-generators-are-sold-air-cleaners https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/ozone-generators-...
8ytecoder 9y ago
That's insane. I don't see Walgreens or CVS to be any more competent than Amazon. It's the regulations that's keeping them straight. I'm really really hoping that this brings down the cost of medicines. The pricing of drugs in the US is ludicrous.
- gknoy 9y ago
  When I go to a pharmacy, I trust that they will make the medication that matches my prescription. Amazon is _notorious_ for having counterfeit items commingled with the same bin code (I might be using the wrong term), e.g. for cellular phone chargers, and even things like t-shirts. Because of this, I share the GP's concern that Amazon would to a terrible, un-trustable job at preventing such commingling of pharmaceutical products. Sure, their pharmacy suppliers might make them right, but that doesn't prevent some random jerk (or just someone w/ crappy safety practices?) from posting a counterfeit with the same labeling.
  - fny 9y ago
    Thankfully, pharmaceuticals are regulated, whereas chargers and t-shirts aren't... Do you really think Amazon is going to let anyone sell any drugs?
    - solotronics 9y ago
      that was called Alphabay and already exsists /s
      - InternetUser 9y ago
        There is now the Dream Market: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Market https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Market https://www.reddit.com/r/Dream_Market/comments/6pp9oi/dream_market_guide_for_new_users/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Dream_Market/comments/6pp9oi/dream_...
    - com2kid 9y ago
      > Thankfully, pharmaceuticals are regulated, whereas chargers and t-shirts aren't... Except, they are. To begin with, selling counterfeit goods is flat out illegal. Electronics have safety standards they are supposed to be tested against. Even clothing has safety standards around flammability. If you dig deeply into generic drugs, they actually aren't all that well regulated[http://fortune.com/2013/01/10/are-generics-really-the-same-as-branded-drugs/ http://fortune.com/2013/01/10/are-generics-really-the-same-a...]. Legally a generic drug only has to be 80% as effective as the brand name drug it replaces, for psychoactive compounds that can be the difference between working and not working at all. Not so great for anti-depressants (or the vast majority of other compounds for that matter...)
paulcole 9y ago
There is 0% chance 3rd-party sellers would be allowed to list prescription drugs.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- dogma1138 9y ago
  I bought 4-5 items this year that were sold and dispatched by Amazon which turned out to be counterfeit. Even without direct commingled inventory the generic supply chain is riddled with counterfeit and quality control issues. There is a very big difference between buying a Generic from the likes of TEVA or Novartis vs some low tier Indian or Chinese generic manufacturer. Even large health care providers have been struggling with the quality of generic these days when not buying from the top 3 manufacturers im not seeing any reason for Amazon to do any better.
  - late2part 9y ago
    You, sir, seem to be suffering from a lack of information, over-confidence in marketing, and I kindly provide you this article: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-novartis-india-warning-idUSKCN0SM13O20151028 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-novartis-india-warning-id...
    - dogma1138 9y ago
      That’s actually drives my point even further if even Novartis which is the second largest manufacturer of generics in the world has supply chain issues.
pcurve 9y ago
I don't trust Amazon either, but they're talking to drug makers directly. They would be getting drugs directly from them.

by ProAm 9y ago

I do not trust Amazon with this type of product at all. Their lack of ability or interest in stopping counterfeits now fills me with wary about products that are important to me.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

doughj3 9y ago

Can't wait for the "comingled inventory"

krapp 9y ago
You ordered blue pills, you got "blue pills." What more could a consumer possibly want?
- malandrew 9y ago
  Just wait until Amazon starts selling generic viagra. Don't know where I first heard it but "Any sufficiently advanced spam is indistinguishable from content".
  - krapp 9y ago
    I hate to say it but that's probably the only way we'll get competitive drug prices in the US.

draw_down 9y ago

Good point, but on the other hand people die because drugs that should be inexpensive cost too much.

paxy 9y ago

They definitely have an interest in stopping counterfeits if it makes them liable for injuries or other lawsuits (e.g. fake chargers, cables, hoverboards, eclipse glasses).

Jemmeh 9y ago
This year they had to recall a bunch of eclipse glasses though.
Someone1234 9y ago
Amazon continues to sell the "SoClean CPAP Cleaner" even going so far as to stock it out of their own warehouses and offer Prime shipping. This is a product which has been pulled from several CPAP vendors, likely due to the potential danger[0] posed by leaving Ozone in the CPAP and its ineffectiveness as an actual cleaner[1]. There's also no health warnings on the product and it makes misleading claims ("Destroys 99.9% of CPAP germs"). This product is particularly dangerous because CPAP users are particularly vulnerable to breathing problems potentially caused by Ozone exposure. [0] https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ozone/default.html https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ozone/default.html [1] https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/ozone-generators-are-sold-air-cleaners https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/ozone-generators-...

8ytecoder 9y ago

That's insane. I don't see Walgreens or CVS to be any more competent than Amazon. It's the regulations that's keeping them straight. I'm really really hoping that this brings down the cost of medicines. The pricing of drugs in the US is ludicrous.

gknoy 9y ago
When I go to a pharmacy, I trust that they will make the medication that matches my prescription. Amazon is _notorious_ for having counterfeit items commingled with the same bin code (I might be using the wrong term), e.g. for cellular phone chargers, and even things like t-shirts. Because of this, I share the GP's concern that Amazon would to a terrible, un-trustable job at preventing such commingling of pharmaceutical products. Sure, their pharmacy suppliers might make them right, but that doesn't prevent some random jerk (or just someone w/ crappy safety practices?) from posting a counterfeit with the same labeling.
- fny 9y ago
  Thankfully, pharmaceuticals are regulated, whereas chargers and t-shirts aren't... Do you really think Amazon is going to let anyone sell any drugs?
  - solotronics 9y ago
    that was called Alphabay and already exsists /s
    - InternetUser 9y ago
      There is now the Dream Market: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Market https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Market https://www.reddit.com/r/Dream_Market/comments/6pp9oi/dream_market_guide_for_new_users/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Dream_Market/comments/6pp9oi/dream_...
  - com2kid 9y ago
    > Thankfully, pharmaceuticals are regulated, whereas chargers and t-shirts aren't... Except, they are. To begin with, selling counterfeit goods is flat out illegal. Electronics have safety standards they are supposed to be tested against. Even clothing has safety standards around flammability. If you dig deeply into generic drugs, they actually aren't all that well regulated[http://fortune.com/2013/01/10/are-generics-really-the-same-as-branded-drugs/ http://fortune.com/2013/01/10/are-generics-really-the-same-a...]. Legally a generic drug only has to be 80% as effective as the brand name drug it replaces, for psychoactive compounds that can be the difference between working and not working at all. Not so great for anti-depressants (or the vast majority of other compounds for that matter...)

paulcole 9y ago

There is 0% chance 3rd-party sellers would be allowed to list prescription drugs.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
dogma1138 9y ago
I bought 4-5 items this year that were sold and dispatched by Amazon which turned out to be counterfeit. Even without direct commingled inventory the generic supply chain is riddled with counterfeit and quality control issues. There is a very big difference between buying a Generic from the likes of TEVA or Novartis vs some low tier Indian or Chinese generic manufacturer. Even large health care providers have been struggling with the quality of generic these days when not buying from the top 3 manufacturers im not seeing any reason for Amazon to do any better.
- late2part 9y ago
  You, sir, seem to be suffering from a lack of information, over-confidence in marketing, and I kindly provide you this article: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-novartis-india-warning-idUSKCN0SM13O20151028 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-novartis-india-warning-id...
  - dogma1138 9y ago
    That’s actually drives my point even further if even Novartis which is the second largest manufacturer of generics in the world has supply chain issues.

pcurve 9y ago

I don't trust Amazon either, but they're talking to drug makers directly. They would be getting drugs directly from them.