The maker of cancer drug Avastin is warning hospitals, doctors, and patients that a counterfeit version of the expensive medical treatment has been found in the United States.
Reuters reports that Swiss-based pharmaceutical company Roche discovered the fakes after a recent test on a batch of the drug—which is used to treat cancers of the colon, lung, kidney, and brain—showed that its active ingredient was missing is some of the distributed product.
The FDA has launched its own investigation, although it is not yet clear how much of the counterfeit drug is in circulation. The Associated Press reports that the federal agency has contacted at least 19 medical facilities that purchased the drug from Quality Specialty Products, a foreign supply company.
The hand of the free market
