--- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Actually, that's a rather bad example to use. :-) > Both Viagra and Cialis have been the victims of > widespread counterfeiting. *Good* counterfeiting, > the quality of which is so good that only a chemist > with a laboratory can tell whether the Viagra pill > is real or a placebo. These counterfeits are so > widespread that they have shown up being dispensed > in legitimate pharmacies. It has been estimated > that as much as 30% of the Viagra and Cialis taken > in recent years has been nothing but a placebo. > > And yet few of the customers have complained. > Go figure... > > Unc
The drug manufacturers appear to be combatting counterfeiting with technology. Of course, among cynics, the counterfeit claims are proclaimed to be a branding and scare tactic used by the manufactures to reduce sales of legitimate grey market drugs sold on-line far less expensively than mainstream channels -- the manufacturers key customers. Still, per your original point implying at lest 30% placebo effect of ED drugs, it strikes me as funny that such a high number of men can imagine up and manifest a full and sustained erection from a fake pill, when sustained and massive erotic manuveures and stimulation by female counter parts don't do the job. Why even bother with chasing women then? Why not imagine up and manifest the whole thing: the erection, the nubile california blonde, the 3 hour performance, the 10.0 richter scale orgasm, the blonde emphatically swearing you are by far the best lover she has ever had. Why stop there. Why not imagine / manifest the beach front mansion ... *************************** About the Anti-Counterfeiting Program RFID incorporates the use of small radio frequency tags on product packaging that can be electronically scanned to authenticate and track products through the distribution system, from manufacturing plant to retail pharmacy. The technology is difficult to replicate and—with widespread adoption—will help protect the pharmaceutical supply chain, and ultimately consumers, from fake medicines, says Pfizer. The project supports FDA efforts to promote the development of standards and processes in preparation for RFID's broader use across the pharmaceutical industry. Pfizer will begin planning for the project immediately and has set a goal to start shipping Viagra with RFID technology by the end of next year. Viagra was selected because it is one of the most recognizable and counterfeited medicines in the United States. The company will add passive RFID tags to cases and retail packages of Viagra at an estimated initial cost of several million dollars. Pfizer does not expect to achieve any cost savings at this point. "To us, this is strictly a patient safety issue," said Tom McPhillips, vice president of the U. S. Trade Group. "Drug counterfeiting is a serious and growing problem and RFID offers the potential to be an important anti-counterfeiting technology in the future. It's certainly not the only solution. McPhillips said the year-long Viagra project will help Pfizer further define both the benefits and challenges of RFID as the company and the industry move toward its broader implementation. Pfizer says they are taking a multi-faceted approach to combating counterfeiting. In addition to RFID, the company has incorporated color-shifting inks into the logos on some product packaging and has implemented unique bar coding and other tools to make it more difficult for criminals to copy its products. Pfizer has increased the size of its global security staff assigned to anti-counterfeiting activities and is working closely with law enforcement agencies in a number of countries to identify and close down counterfeiting operations, and to prosecute those involved. The company also recently initiated legal action against several dozen websites selling illegal or unapproved versions of its products. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
