The FDA cautioned consumers who bought drugs through the 10 Web sites and said they should not use the medications because they may not be safe. The sites include rxnorth.com, canadiandrugstore.com and rxbyfax.com.
The prescriptions ordered through the sites are filled by Mediplan Prescription Plus Pharmacy, also known as Mediplan Global Health.
The AP quotes FDA Associate Commissioner Randall Lutter as saying that U.S. officials have intercepted and seized thousands of prescriptions filled by the pharmacy in recent months.
Subsequent testing by the FDA has revealed counterfeit versions of the cholesterol drugs Lipitor and Crestor, as well as the painkiller Celebrex, blood-pressure medication Diovan, baldness treatment Propecia and five other prescription drugs.
Andrew Strempler, the president and chief executive of Mediplan Global Health said,"U.S. drug companies, along with the FDA, are really starting to target companies like ours. These allegations are completely false."
Strempler added that his company regularly tests the drugs it sells, and that they are safe and reliable.
The tests conducted by the FDA's own lab also showed that some of the drugs contained the active ingredients found in genuine versions, but at lower concentrations. It could put patients at risk.
Paul Duchesne, a spokesman for Canada's federal health department said, "We are investigating, and if there are any safety concerns, we will be sure to alert the public."
Lutters has advised all those consumers who ordered drugs through the Mediplan-linked Web sites to talk to their doctors and get their prescriptions refilled.
