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Drug Counterfeiting is one of the most underrated crimes in the world. It is seldom being focused in the media. If it is, it takes only the 1-minute news segment or an inner paged column in the newspaper. Moreover, this illegal practice is common in countries considered poor. Because of this, it does not entirely attract global attention.
Drug counterfeiting is a crucial issue as it is the cause of unnecessary morbidity, mortality and loss of public confidence in medicines and health structures. In its present situation, however, only non-profit organizations’ names are being dragged and involved in most of its cases. World Health Organization (WHO) has been actively participating in its chase, so is Impact, the Peterson Group and other NGOs which even get little recognition from the public.
The prevalence of counterfeit drugs seems to be rising as stated in dozens of reviews and studies. The most likely target are countries with loose security measures but cities such as Jakarta, Indonesia, Beijing, China and even Singapore are involved even when there are strict impositions of regulations and heavy penalties within their boundaries.
According to a study conducted by Plos Journal, “…It has been estimated that up to 15% of all sold drugs are fake, and in parts of Africa and Asia this figure exceeds 50%”. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on the other hand, estimates that 10% of global medicine market is fraud. Hence, this estimate suggests that criminal sales on drug counterfeiting amount to $35,000,000,000 per year. The number has been predicted to double within the last five years, albeit the total scope of the problem cannot be fully determined.
Demographics and difference of culture hinder researchers to fully identify the scale of the issue. Also, most recent studies suggest that many pharmaceutical companies and governments have been reluctant to publicize the problem to health staff and the public, apparently motivated by the belief that the “publicity will harm the sales of brand-name products in a fiercely competitive business”. Publicly, at least, several industry sources say the justification for secrecy is to avoid any alarm that could prevent patients taking their genuine medicines.
Yet, NGOs see the dangers on the lack of warnings. It can harm patients and only protects pharmaceutical companies. In the side of the government, there is a dilemma on which to prioritize between health and economic industry.
While some drug companies have given public warnings to protect patients, others have been criticized for withholding information. Even courts fail to act. When will they ever be transparent?
The world has witnessed brutal battles against drug counterfeiting last year. Different government sectors, non-profit organizations, pharmaceutical companies, private entities and even individual civilians have put up a lot of effort in taking down fraud online pharmacies conduct raid operations on possible manufacturers and haul drug shipments to and from unsecured territories. Accomplishments include seizure of hundreds of fake medicines in Menteng, Jakarta, Indonesia; haul of £16M worth of fake and unlicensed medicines across the United Kingdom; arrest of 156 individuals worldwide in Operation Pangaea headed by Interpol; and closure of a South African pharmaceutical company which is reported to have produced 23.4 million fraud Viagra tablets.
Albeit the most active participation the world has seen so far for the cause of fighting against counterfeiting, the battle does not end. As a new year starts, new challenges are ahead. Also, the remnants of 2015’s troubles are still in existence.
One of the unending problems is the ever emerging online pharmacies which do not seem to lose its steam. More than 2,000 sites, which are suspected to prescribe fake medicines, were already taken down for investigation, yet World Health Organization still warns of the dangers of purchasing drugs online.
“As long as there is internet and people are online, scammers will always be there. WHO is still working with search engine companies to be able to come up with security system that can block any illegal advances”, Peter Fowler, WHO spokesperson told The Peterson Group.
Another issue is the unsolved involvement of pharmaceutical companies in distributing counterfeited medicines. Although the information was already disseminated, there are still a number of small and medium pharmacies which continuously dispense counterfeit medicines and are unaware of the possible penetration of counterfeit medicines on their shelves.
New brands of counterfeit drugs are also increasing by the minute. When it was only Viagra and Cialis once, the list now includes Lipitor, for treating high cholesterol, corticosteroids for inflammation, Cytotec, used to treat ulcers and Xanax, an antidepressant. Experts believe that there are other undiscovered brands in the market. Even pharmaceutical companies are astounded on the choice of brands beings copied by counterfeiters. These illegal manufacturers also seem to conduct their own research as most of the existing counterfeit drugs are expensive brands which fraud vendors can sell at a cheap price.
The battle is indeed ranging on and it will take time to eliminate them altogether.
