Prescription and over-the-counter drugs Counterfeit medications

1 prescription , over-the-counter drugs

1.1 china
1.2 india
1.3 pakistan
1.4 united states
1.5 africa

prescription , over-the-counter drugs

bulk bag of counterfeit viagra

counterfeit medicinal drugs include less or none of stated active ingredients, added, hazardous, adulterants, substituted ingredients, misrepresented, or sold false brand name. otherwise, legitimate drugs have passed date of expiry remarked false dates. low-quality counterfeit medication may cause of several dangerous health consequences, including side effects or allergic reactions, in addition obvious lack of efficacy due having less or none of active ingredients.

since counterfeiting difficult detect, investigate, quantify, or stop, quantity of counterfeit medication difficult determine. in 2003, world health organization cited estimates annual earnings substandard and/or counterfeit drugs on us$32 billion.

the considerable difference between cost of manufacturing counterfeit medication , price counterfeiters charge lucrative incentive. fake antibiotics low concentration of active ingredients can damage worldwide stimulating development of drug resistance in surviving bacteria. courses of antibiotic treatment not completed can dangerous or life-threatening. if low-potency counterfeit drug involved, completion of course of treatment cannot effective. counterfeit drugs have been known have been involved in clinical drug trials.

several technologies may prove helpful in combating counterfeit drug problem. example radio frequency identification, uses electronic devices track , identify items, such pharmaceutical products, assigning individual serial numbers containers holding each product. u.s. food , drug administration (fda) working towards electronic pedigree (epedigree) system track drugs factory pharmacy. technology may prevent diversion or counterfeiting of drugs allowing wholesalers , pharmacists determine identity , dosage of individual products. techniques, such raman spectroscopy , energy-dispersive x-ray diffraction (edxrd) can used discover counterfeit drugs while still inside packaging.

china

the state food , drug administration not responsible regulating pharmaceutical ingredients manufactured , exported chemical companies. regulatory lack, has resulted in considerable international news coverage unfavorable china, has been known decade, failure of chinese regulatory agencies cooperate has prevented improvement. on may 6, 2005, chinese press agency xinhua reported world health organization had established rapid alert system, world s first web-based system tracking activities of drug counterfeiters, in light of increasing severity of problem of counterfeit drugs.

india

“if have follow u.s. standards in inspecting facilities supplying indian market,” g. n. singh, india’s top drug regulator, said in recent interview indian newspaper, “we have shut of those.”

according outsourcing pharma citing european commission, 75% of counterfeit drugs supplied world on have origins in india, followed 7% egypt , 6% china.

the central drug standards control organisation (cdsco), drug regulatory authority of india conducted nationwide survey in 2009 , announced of 24,000 samples [that] collected on india , tested. found 11 samples or 0.046% spurious.

industry body assocham wrote in paper “fake , counterfeit drugs in india –booming biz” fake drugs constitute us$ 4.25 billion of total us$ 14-17 billion of domestic drugs market. around 25 per cent of india s drugs fake, counterfeit or substandard. if fake drugs market grows @ current rate of 25%, cross us$ 10 billion mark 2017. trade in fake drugs driven caused lack of adequate regulations, shortage of drug inspectors , lack of lab facilities check purity of drugs. other key factors include storage of spurious drugs chemists, weaknesses in drug distribution system, lack of awareness among consumers , lack of law enforcement.

pakistan

the 2012 pakistan fake medicine crisis revealed scale of production of counterfeit medications in pakistan. on 100 heart patients died after administration of adulterated drugs punjab institute of cardiology. pakistan did not have regulatory enforcement on production of medicines until crisis occurred. in response crisis, regulatory body set in february 2012.

united states

the united states has growing problem counterfeit drugs. in 2012, tainted steroids killed 11 people near boston , sickened 100. in case, vials of cancer medicine avastin found contain no active ingredients. vials sourced in turkey, shipped switzerland, denmark, united kingdom exported u.s. wholesale distributors. wall street journal reported u.s. wholesale distributor hired canada drugs, owns canadadrugs.com, retail pharmacy website sells prescription medication internationally, focus on american market. in 2007-08, 149 americans died contaminated blood thinner called heparin legally imported united states. investigated fda office of criminal investigations, albers medical investigation prolific example date. on august 21, 2005, u.s. attorney’s office western district of missouri issued press release announcing 3 businesses , eleven individuals indicted involvement in $42 million conspiracy sell counterfeit, smuggled , misbranded lipitor , other drugs , participating in conspiracy sell stolen drugs. part of investigation, fda initiated recall of more 18 million lipitor tablets, ranks largest recall in history of criminal investigations of counterfeit medications. participants in scheme conspired purchase , sell counterfeit, misbranded , illegally imported drugs. foreign versions of lipitor , celebrex smuggled u.s. south america , re-sold after being re-packaged conceal true origin of drugs. counterfeit lipitor manufactured in south america , smuggled u.s. co-mingled genuine foreign lipitor , sold in u.s. in addition, participants conspired buy, sell , traffic 8 million dollars worth of stolen glaxo smith kline , roche drugs, using fake pedigrees launder drugs , thereby concealing stolen. there charges related sale of counterfeit procrit, counterfeit , misbranded serostim , neupogen. procrit injectable drug used in treatment of anemia , neupogen injectable drug used cancer patients stimulate production of white blood cells in order decrease incidence of infections.

the fda held congressional hearing in 2005 review situation. u.s. attractive market counterfeiters because 40 percent of worldwide annual prescription drug sales made in united states in 2007. in 2011, protect ip act proposed deter advertising.

between 2002 , 2010, drug imports u.s. more doubled, 80% of drugs active ingredients imported, accounting 40% of finished medicines.

u.s. residents @ greatest risk of exposure counterfeit products through personal prescription drug importation age greater 45 years, residing in south or west regions of u.s., hispanic ethnicity, college educated, poor or near poor poverty status, lacking u.s. citizenship, traveling developing countries, lacking health insurance, managing high family out-of-pocket medical costs, having trouble finding healthcare provider, self-reporting fair or poor health status, filling prescription on internet, , using online chat groups learn health. recent evidence suggests provision of health insurance coverage may reduce importation , subsequent risk of exposure counterfeit medicines, among particular subpopulations.

africa

fake antimalarial medication has been threatening efforts control malaria in africa. according world health organization (who), in 2011, 64% of nigeria s imported antimalarial drugs fake. nigeria africa s largest drugs market, , on 70% of drugs imported india , china, considered biggest source of fakes.