FDA warns of fake Adderall sold online

• Tweet

WASHINGTON, May 30 (UPI) -- Officials of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warn a counterfeit version of Adderall 30 milligram tablets is being sold on the Internet.

Adderall, manufactured by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, is approved to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders and narcolepsy. It is a prescription drug classified as a controlled substance and should be dispensed by pharmacists.

Preliminary laboratory tests by the FDA found the counterfeit version of Teva's Adderall 30 milligram tablets contained the wrong active ingredients.

Adderall contains four active ingredients -- dextroamphetamine saccharate, amphetamine aspartate, dextroamphetamine sulfate and amphetamine sulfate. However, instead of these active ingredients, the counterfeit product contained tramadol and acetaminophen, which are ingredients in medicines used to treat acute pain.

Adderall is in short supply due to active pharmaceutical ingredient supply issues and is currently on the FDA's drug shortage list.

Teva continues to release product as it becomes available, but consumers should be extra cautious when buying their medicines from online sources because rogue Web sites and distributors might target medicines in short supply for counterfeiting, FDA officials said.

Authentic Adderall 30 mg tablets produced by Teva are round, orange/peach in color and are scored tablets with "dp" embossed on one side and "30" on the other side of the tablet. They are packaged only in a 100-count bottle with the National Drug Code 0555-0768-02.