Season 12 • Episode 929

929 - How To Spot Unregulated Pharmacies and Falsified Medications

Aug 6, 2025

17:22

Episode Description

About this episode:

Trying to save money on antibiotics, GLP-1 antagonists, or other medications using online pharmacies can pose serious health risks. These sites are flush with substandard and falsified drugs, which can cause adverse side effects, leave serious conditions untreated, and, in some instances, lead to death. In this episode: Dr. Henry Michtalik shares how providers and patients can spot unregulated suppliers and report counterfeit drugs.

Guest:

Dr. Henry Michtalik, MHS, MPH, is a hospitalist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an assistant professor at both the School of Medicine and the Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is a co-principal investigator with the School of Public Health's BESAFE initiative.

Host:

Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Show links and related content:

Fake medication is a problem across the world—DW
Fake Drugs, Real Danger—Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine
Verify Before You Buy—National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
Report a Counterfeit Drug—U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Transcript Information:

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