SCIENCE / MEDICINE : Double Rip-Off in Steroids

People who buy steroids in hopes of building bigger bodies risk getting ripped off twice: once because the drugs can be dangerous and again because they may not be buying steroids at all, according to new research. A Food and Drug Administration chemist told the American Chemical Society that 30% to 40% of vials purportedly containing steroids sold on the black market contain none of the drug at all. An additional 20% contain a lower concentration than the label says, FDA chemist Milda J. Walters said. Even though the drugs have professional-looking labels, the “labeling often has no relationship to the actual composition” of the product, she said.

In one case, the steroid preparation turned out to contain sesame oil with some preservatives. In another case, a combination of aspirin and caffeine was being marketed as a powerful steroid. Philip Halpern of the U.S. attorney’s office in San Diego said illegal steroid sales are a $200-million to $400-million business.