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.

Pharma Industry Leaders Call For Strong EU Measures To Combat Counterfeit Medicines, Including A Ban On Medicine Repackaging

(Medical News Today - Jun. 23, 2008) Leaders of the research-based pharmaceutical industry meeting in Paris have called for strong EU measures to tackle the growing threat of counterfeit medicines, including a ban on medicine repackaging, a harmonised EU- system of identification of medicines, and heavier penalties for trafficking in counterfeit medicines.

Low cost, low quality, high risk

(The National - May 29, 2008) Selling counterfeit medicines could soon be more lucrative than dealing in narcotics and is fast becoming one of the Government’s most serious concerns. They look and feel like typical medicines but counterfeit medicines landing on some pharmacy shelves can be ineffective or even dangerous.

Counterfeit drug market aided by Internet sales: Report

(ExpressIndia.com - May 21, 2008) Emergence of Internet sales channels and transnational payment gateways are propelling the 50 billion dollar global counterfeit drug industry, while emerging economies like India are evolving as manufacturing hub for such markets, a latest report says.

Fake Malaria Drugs Emerging in Vulnerable Countries in Africa

(New York Times - May 13, 2008) A study released last week suggests that the epidemic of fake malaria drugs is spreading to Africa, where the malaria burden is even greater, and the regulatory agencies are even weaker.

Stop buying drugs off the Internet, says FDA official

(Trinidad and Tobago Express, May 5, 2008) As laws are being drafted to regulate the sale of alternative medicine, consumers are being warned against buying drugs off the Internet for personal use.

Unified Efforts Needed to Combat Counterfeited Medicines in Jordan – Experts Say

(Ag-IP News - Apr. 15, 2008) Jordanian officials denied recent allegations brought by the Al-Watan Kuwaiti-based newspaper about confiscating $10 million value counterfeited cancer-related medications in the Palestinian territories bought from Jordan. These accusations have opened the door wide for discussions about counterfeited medicines in the Kingdom.

Counterfeit medicines: the pills that kill

(The Daily Telegraph - Apr. 5, 2008) The multi-billion-pound global trade in bogus medicines is responsible for an estimated half a million deaths a year. As Europe becomes an ever-more lucrative target for counterfeiters, Eric Clark meets the government agents and pharmaceutical company investigators who are taking the fight to the fakers.

Fake and low-quality medicines on the rise

(thanhniennews.com - Apr. 2, 2008) Over 10 percent of imported medicines in 2007 did not meet local standards, tripling the previous year’s statistic, the Ministry of Health reported in Hanoi Tuesday.