The pharmacy was placed under court-approved management Thursday as RCMP, Ontario's coroner and the body that regulates the province's pharmacists continued to investigate. "There are five people who died that we are investigating," regional coroner David Eden said in an interview.

"In each of those cases, we suspect that the person was taking medication dispensed by that pharmacy."

All the deaths involved older Hamilton residents and occurred this year, but no causal link to counterfeit medicines has yet been found, Eden said.

Police descended on King West Pharmacy last week after a woman discovered an oddly coloured pill in her supply of Norvasc.

The drug, made by Pfizer, is used to treat unstable angina and high blood pressure.

After consulting a pharmacist friend, Pfizer was alerted. The company analysed the pill and found it made of talcum powder.

"We're talking about products that wouldn't even contain any medicinal ingredient," said David Malian, director of pharmacy relations for Pfizer.

"We're very concerned for the patients' safety."

RCMP, who seized computers and drugs in their raid last week, have been contacting patients to see if they were given bogus tablets.

An RCMP affidavit filed in support of the search warrant alleges Abadir Nasr, owner-manager of the pharmacy, and Bhashmang Mehta dispensed counterfeit or unapproved drugs out of "greed in order to increase their profits" and "caused actual danger to life."

No charges have been laid and Toronto defence lawyer Edward Greenspan, who is representing Nasr, stressed the allegations remain unproven.

"There's nothing to suggest that they're right or accurate," said Greenspan.

"A search warrant is not proof of anything."

The regulating college said Wednesday that both pharmacists would face a professional misconduct hearing.

Under the plan authorized by Ontario Superior Court on Thursday, the pharmacy, which is situated in a strip mall close to several seniors' residences, was placed in receivership and shut down.

It will be allowed to re-open with new managers and pharmacists once its entire drug inventory is replaced, likely within a few days.

"We're confident that this will protect the public by maintaining the continuing care of the patients of this pharmacy," said college spokesman Layne Verbeek.

Maggie Firck, who lives in a nearby seniors' residence, said she had used the drugstore for the last three years but has now switched to another one.

"I was scared," Firck said.

On her way into the pharmacy Thursday, which was still open at lunch, Jessie Bennett expressed disbelief at the allegations.

"I was really shocked because I don't believe it," said Bennett.

"No one will convince me that they are doing things like that."

The pharmacy was finally locked up at about 4 p.m. and its glowing red-blue neon open sign turned off.

Genuine Norvasc authorized for sale in Canada is manufactured by Pfizer in Ireland under the close supervision of Health Canada.

A single tablet, typically taken daily, sells for about $2 each.

The grey or beige pills, which bore the Pfizer logo, were distinguishable from the genuine article, which is a bright white.

Pfizer is testing seized drugs at its lab in Groton, Conn. Results of those tests are expected possibly next week.

Experts say drug counterfeiting is known in countries such as China or Russia, but is essentially unheard of in Canada.

Nasr, 27, of Mississauga, Ont., graduated from an Egyptian university in 2001 and was licensed in Ontario in 2003.

Mehta, of nearby Burlington, Ont., graduated in Britain in 1981 and was authorized to practise in Ontario in 1986.

The college said all pharmacists, no matter where they qualify, undergo a "vigorous" pre-registration process before they can dispense drugs in Ontario.

A spokeswoman for Health Canada, which oversees the drugs sold through about 7,700 pharmacies in the country, said the agency does inspections.

However, the agency's 200 inspectors have been largely focused on Internet pharmacies, said Jirina Vlk.

"You can't be everywhere," said Vlk.

"We have to rely to a certain extent on consumers, if there are any issues, to bring their concerns to us."

Della Croteau, the college's deputy registrar, said its inspectors visit each of the province's pharmacies at least once every three years, but the focus is on the operation rather than the drugs themselves.