People have been reporting different smells…(see this post here) I think these guys are really small vendors and these things are likely stored with some other things that give off the odor. They also are reusing some old packing boxes (the external cardboard box) so that could also be part of the issue. See this link to view some of the “offices” of these companies: Importing Rapamycin to Save Money (2) - #118 by RapAdmin
Usually if the US customs open the box, they tape it back up with special tape as you see in this photo:
That cut in your box looks like it could have been either an accident, or perhaps it was checked in India (who may not tag it like US customs does).
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Thank you!
I wish it smelled like essential oils, lol. It smells like somebody died in the room!
I’m leaning toward throwing it away, but waiting to hear back from RL Pharma. In general though though, does anyone have any thoughts on how to inspect the way sirolimus looks to determine whether it’s safe to take (e.g., wasn’t affected by the storage in a damp environment)?
RapAdmin
#1001
All the tablets are typically inside a foil package or bubble package. They typically wouldn’t be affected by anything outside the package. I think you can immerse them (the package) in water and the tablets will still be fine.
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I wouldn’t throw the medications away as the foil packaging should protect them.
Tangentially related: do you folks worry at all about proper storage of meds in India? Especially, given how their “offices” look. E.g. sirolimus should be kept under 25C (77F) according to the instructions, while it’s (32-35C) 90-95F in Nagpur (where RL Pharma is) this week for example.
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This is a very good question and point to bring up. Unfortunately buying from these suppliers means you’re getting product from a completely opaque supply chain, and from many “questionable” small businesses in a very hot climate.
This might be a reason to either do blood sirolimus testing when you use the product to validate that its being effective still, or go for the higher priced, larger vendors like Oddway, etc. that seem a little more likely to have some sort of rational storage protocols vs. some guy who is storing it under his desk or in a shed somewhere.
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Is there consensus on this forum regarding which supplier would be considered the best one if price variation within ~50% were not an issue?
I don’t think you’d get any consensus if you asked everyone who’s ordered from these online pharmacies. All the companies consistently deliver product to you (with the occasional issue with Customs at the border, but thats not the issue of the pharmacy/reseller).
As you can see in the above discussions/posts, everyone has their own favorite vendors.
And all the product (e.g. Biocon sirolimus or Zydus sirolimus) we receive all looks the same (packaging, etc.) and seems to function well. I’m not even sure how you’d identify what vendor is “best” unless you lab-tested a large sample of medications coming from each vendor and compared them all in terms of potency, etc. and that would be a huge expense.
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What are people paying for Tadalafil from India? I’m paying $0.44 per 20mg pill from my pharmacy here in the US.
I expect a package from RL Pharma next week. I’ll let you know the condition when it arrives. I believe many others here have had positive experiences with them.
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I’ve been using RL Pharma for all of my purchases for myself and my parents which is 5 shipments of 200-400 pills each.
The price has been good, the delivery has been fast and the quality has been excellent. Jagdish has been quick to respond to inquiries and he carries the best brands. I have had no problems with customs. I could try another supplier, but why risk it? One seized shipment or bad medications (Siroboon!) would more than wipe out any price savings I could get by 10X. I’m sticking with what has worked until there is a problem.
If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.
adssx
#1010
If you don’t care about the price, I think Alldaychemist is best in terms of user experience: it’s an Amazon-like experience, you don’t need to talk to someone on WhatsApp, you can pay by credit card, and they deliver faster. Good packaging and no weird smell. But it’s extremely expensive.
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I’m beginning to wonder if the smell is what allows the packages to get through customs every time without being opened.
The customs guys don’t want to be blamed for anything broken inside! 
scta123
#1012
@adssx did you use this service? Did you deliver to UK or France? I would like to order some medicines for a personal experiment since the medicine in question is around 1500 EUR in Europe for single dose and around 150 EUR in India.
Has someone successfully ordered medicines form India and lives in EU? I hear Italian customs are really forgiving…
adssx
#1013
I did. To the UK. They ship from Germany.
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And FWIW, All Day Chemists guarantee that the generic drugs you receive are the same generics that are sent to US and Europe, and that if your shipment doesn’t reach you for any reason, they will replace it once.
Their shipments still come from India, though, and take as long as any other Indian pharmacy.
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ng0rge
#1015
I ordered from RL Pharma because of all the recommendations here - and let’s face it, who can resist a name like “Jagdish”? Mine has already cleared US customs (he received my payment Feb 15th) so should arrive any day. I’ll let you know if it smells like Shiva’s ass…sorry, must be the lithium talking.
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adssx
#1016
Yes, they initially ship from India, but, at least in the UK, you receive it through Germany, so I assume there’s a lower risk of it being seized or inspected.
I find them a bit faster than other Indian pharmacies.
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Stijn
#1017
What suppliers did someone do a quality test on? I don’t need the cheapest of the cheapest, need something with proper quality for a proper price.
There were quality tests on Zydus and Biocon. Both came in at ±10% of labelled values. This is acceptable IMHO.
Siroboon was also tested but they’re all over the map which isn’t good. For instance some people got 1/10 of the labelled dose!
I think there were a few others tested, but most of us use Biocon or Zydus.
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