News Room

COUNTERFEIT MEDICINES

While the issue of counterfeit medicines is not new, there seems to be a growing prevalence of incidents reported by the media. The following articles highlight some of the reported cases, and dangers, of counterfeit medicines.

2.5% of U.S. adults buy drugs abroad

(Chicago Sun-Times - June 26, 2007) Drugs from other countries such as Canada and Mexico have been purchased by 5.4 million Americans. More than half of those who bought drugs from abroad listed the lack of a doctor's prescription among the important reasons.

Chicago Sun-Times - drug importation.pdf 11.25 kB

India hub of counterfeit drugs

(The Economic Times - June 23, 2007) A recent European Commission report claimed that India was the largest source of the 2.7 million counterfeit drugs seized by its custom department in 2006.

THE ECONOMIC TIMES - India hub of counterfeit drugs.pdf 12.40 kB

FDA Scrutiny Scant In India, China as Drugs Pour Into U.S.; Broad Overseas Checks Called Too Costly

(The Washington Post - June 17, 2007) India and China, countries where the Food and Drug Administration rarely conducts quality-control inspections, have become major suppliers of low-cost drugs and drug ingredients to American consumers. Analysts say their products are becoming pervasive in the generic and over-the-counter marketplace.

"The low level there" of follow-up inspections, "combined with the huge amount of importing, greatly increases the potential that consumers will get products that have impurities or ineffective ingredients," said Brant Zell, past chairman of the Bulk Pharmaceuticals Task Force.

The Washington Post - foreign drugs pour into US.pdf 26.60 kB

Boom in deadly fakes driven by entrepreneurs taking advantage of a weak legal system

(The Toronto Star - June 7, 2007) Counterfeiting is not new to China, but the discovery of dangerous ingredients in foods and drugs has raised more serious questions. In Taixing, a city far to the south, a small business cheated the system by substituting a cheap toxic chemical for pharmaceutical-grade syrup, leading to a mass poisoning in Panama. The incidents are the latest indications that cutting corners or producing fake goods is not just a legacy of China's initial rush toward the free market three decades ago but still woven into the fabric of the nation's thriving industrial economy.

The Star - counterfeit drugs.pdf 19.11 kB

Chinese gangs 'behind fake drugs'

(BBC News - June 4, 2007) Trans-national ethnic Chinese gangs are behind the growing trade in counterfeit anti-malarial drugs in South East Asia. He said the gangs involved organised criminals working across national boundaries and faking the drugs on an industrial scale.

International health officials warn that anti-malarial drugs are just the tip of the iceberg. There is also growing concern about fake antibiotics and fake anti-retrovirals used to treat HIV/Aids, and even fake versions of the drugs used to treat avian flu. The UN said that within a few years, global sales of fake drugs could be worth $75bn a year.

BBC News - chinese gangs behind fake drugs.pdf 27.27 kB

Warning over fake batch of 'lifesaving' cancer medicine

(Daily Mail - June 2, 2007) Thousands of cancer patients have been warned to be on alert for a fake batch of a 'lifesaving' medicine. The alert is the third in a week, and follows similar discoveries of a counterfeit schizophrenia drug and blood thinning drug. Most counterfeit medicines are believed to come from China, Pakistan or India.

Daily Mail - fake lifesaving drugs.pdf 28.35 kB

Bad Medicine in the Market

(American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research - June, 2007) Counterfeit medicines are an insidious threat to global health, and the risks they pose have been largely underestimated to date. Apart from failing to cure disease, they can cause mental and physical damage—and even death.

AEI - Bad Medicine in the Market.pdf 77.45 kB