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Sexual medicine

Online risks to health—the problem of counterfeit drugs

Counterfeit medicines sold online are a global scourge. Although erectile dysfunction drugs are well known to be heavily counterfeited, illicit vendors are rapidly expanding to other drugs and devices in the sexual health arena. International multidisciplinary cooperation is needed to address key patient safety concerns resulting from such markets.

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Acknowledgements

T. K. Mackey is the 2011–2012 Carl L. Alsberg MD Fellow of the nonprofit Partnership for Safe Medicines, for which B. A. Liang serves as a voluntary board member. The Partnership for Safe Medicines is a group of not-for-profit organizations and individuals with policies, procedures and programmes to protect consumers from counterfeit or contraband medicines.

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Correspondence to Bryan A. Liang.

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Liang, B., Mackey, T. Online risks to health—the problem of counterfeit drugs. Nat Rev Urol 9, 480–482 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2012.148

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