Allergan, one of the world’s leading suppliers of high quality FDA approved Muscle Relaxing Injection and dermal fillers, has issued a warning from a number of European regulatory agencies about counterfeit Juvéderm Ultra 4 being offered via a company called Qufu Hantang Biological Co Ltd.
Counterfeit products are often cheaper than the genuine article, but in medicine, including medical aesthetics, they can pose a significant risk to patient safety as the product may have been unsafely manufactured, contain variable quantities of, or incorrect, active ingredients, have unknown excipients included in the formulation, and be subjected to questionable storage and supply chain provisions, and so on. It is also illegal for these companies to sell fake products posing as the original.
Allergan has informed practitioners and clinics who may have purchased Juvéderm Ultra 4 from unauthorised retailers or online sources to check the following in order to ascertain whether the product is fake:
- Batch Number S30LA30262 – They are aware of at least one valid Allergan batch number being used illegally on counterfeit Juvéderm Ultra 4. There may be others, so you should also review the following package discrepancies.
- Manufacturing Date Appears as e.g. “2014.04” on the counterfeit product.
- Expiry Date Appears as e.g. “2016.03” on the counterfeit product.
- Outer Packaging The outer packaging looks very similar to authentic Allergan Juvéderm Ultra 4, however there are several key differences as demonstrated in the pictures below. (1) On one side of the outer packaging is written “Science of Erjuvenation” instead of “Science of Rejuvenation”, (2) The Arabic language text layout is not correct, and (3) The font of the word ALLERGAN is incorrect.
Allergan recommend that you do not use any product that has been purchased from outside the Allergan supplier network. If you identify suspected counterfeit product, or are not able to confirm the authenticity of the product, do not use it. Keep the product packaging for further investigation and contact your Allergan representative and MHRA Counterfeit Medicine and Devices Group.
Skin Medical only purchase Allergan products from authorised suppliers. Patients should feel free to ask their practitioners about the source of cosmetic injectable products and can follow this up with the supplier.
Allergan remains committed to providing the very highest quality product. They spend in excess of $16million per year on global quality control including protection of their supply chain. They invest significantly more into their manufacturing facilities and are proud that their products, including their entire dermal filler range, are manufactured in accordance with the relevant regional, national and global standards.
Source: Allergan. CS_UKI_Medical@allergan.com (UK) CS_UKI_Pharma@allergan.com (Ireland). Allergan Ltd., 1st Floor, Marlow International, Parkway, Marlow, Bucks SL7 1YL, England.
