by
Rhona Finkel
on
December
5, 2012
The
World Health Organization defines a counterfeit medicine as
one "which is deliberately and fraudulently mislabeled with respect to identity
and/or source. Counterfeiting can apply to both branded and generic products and
counterfeit products may include products with the correct ingredients or with
the wrong ingredients, without active ingredients, with insufficient (inadequate
quantities of) active ingredient(s) or with fake packaging."
Counterfeit medicines are defined broadly throughout
the world by the World Health Organization. On April 1-3, 1992, experts from the
world over met in Geneva for the first international meeting which gathered
together member states and other organizations, such as INTERPOL, World Customs
Organization (at the time known as Customs Cooperation Council), International
Narcotics Control Board, International Federation of Pharmaceutical
Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), International Organization of Consumer
Unions, and the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) in response to a
World Health Assembly resolution (WHA41.16)."
The number of counterfeit drugs continues to grow. According to
SafeMedicines.org, counterfeit drugs have killed an estimated
700,000 people from malaria and tuberculosis alone.
Up to a third of all anti-malarials are suspect, and around 10% of all
essential drugs in emerging markets fail basic quality tests.
No country is safe. India is the world’s largest manufacturer of generic
drugs, but it’s estimated that from 12-25% of their supply might be contaminated
with substandard or counterfeit medicines. The WHO reports that many of those
medicines find their way to Africa, where some nations may have up to 40% of
their drug supply contaminated.
Which drugs are most commonly counterfeited?
Here in the U.S., certain drugs are more likely to be counterfeit.
Cardiovascular Medications
Cardiovascular drugs are for a serious need, one which many Americans turn to
foreign drug-makers for. But, points out Haiken, the danger isn't that the
Americans won't get the medications--rather it's that they will get a dangerous
counterfeit instead.
Antibiotics
Of course a counterfeit version might very well not heal you--but it could
also make you sicker, as fake meds can be tainted with heavy metals or some
other dangerous ingredients.
Cancer Drugs
Fake cancer drugs have been found in both Israel and China--and just February
of this year in the U.S. In fact it's possible that doctors' offices and
clinics might have bought counterfeit Avastin, containing no real drug, but
rather acetone and water.
ED Medications
The Pharmaceutical Security Institute reports that 37% of all fake medicines
seized are ED drugs. ED drugs are offered for sale via thousands of fake online
pharmacies without prescription requirements. Writes Ms. Haiken, "The real
danger of buying these drugs from a non-VIPPS approved pharmacy is that there is
a very good chance they will not just be
counterfeit, but poison."
Treatments for Chronic Ailments Like HIV, Diabetes &
Alzheimer’s
Because chronic ailments respond slowly to treatment. it's hard to know if
the drugs are really fake.
Psychiatric Medications
A Google search for
Xanax,
Ativan, Adderrall, or
Ambien reveals hundreds of websites
offering these powerful drugs without a prescription.
It is a dangerous world out there, and one where you have to keep your senses
about you, since the matter can very easily be the difference between life and
death.
Common Sources of Counterfeit Drugs
India and China are most commonly the source of counterfeit drugs.
Havocscope, which keeps track of counterfeit medicines
worldwide, found that genitourinary medicines, anti-infective drugs, and central
nervous system drugs are the most frequently counterfeited kinds of medications.
Just this August, according to
Scientific American, "$182,000 worth of fake
medicines for diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer were seized in
China."
Dr Sneh Khemka,
Bupa International's medical director, notes that so
many of the world's counterfeit medicines come from Asia, particularly China,
that it is a dangerous area when you're searching for medical purity. Khemka
writes that across the country between 50-85% of some drugs are fake and kill up
to 300,000 people per year, which is the equivalent of wiping out the entire
population of Iceland every year.
Don't think you're safe if you buy your drugs in any other country,
however.
According to
the CBS
news, the
FDA found in April 2012 that a counterfeit version of Roche’s
Altuzan (bevacizumab), an injectable cancer medication, contained no active
ingredient.
In an article entitled “Fake pharmaceuticals: Bad medicine,” in October 13,
2012's, issue of
Economist, the authors determined that Pfizer found 20
counterfeit versions of their drugs in 81 countries in January 2009, and by July
2012, Pfizer reported finding 60 of their counterfeit drugs in 106
countries.
Create.org in a
whitepaper on health and safety risks of counterfeits asserts
that up to 40 million U.S. prescriptions are filled each year with
counterfeits.
"Pharmaceutical counterfeiting is a low-risk, high-profit criminal enterprise
that attracts entrepreneurs and organized criminals," says
John P. Clark, vice president and chief security officer for
the drug company Pfizer. "What was once seen as a problem limited to lifestyle
medicines is now recognized as a threat from which no therapeutic area is
immune."
In September/October,
Computer World reported, an Interpol operation involving 100 countries
seized $10.5 million worth of counterfeit drugs. Nearly 18,000 websites selling
fake drugs were shut down during the operation, and 3.7 million doses of
counterfeit drugs were seized.
Despite the way counterfeit drugs have encroached upon the U.S.,
CBS news points out that most of the ingredients in fake
American medicines still come from other countries, including China and India,
which are known to have weak regulatory systems. The FDA only inspects about 12%
of overseas facilities a year.
How to know Whether Your Prescription Drugs are Counterfeit
The World Health Organization estimates that over half the drugs sold online
via websites that hide their physical address are counterfeit.
Writes the WHO:
"Criminal organizations manufacture these counterfeits, not in
quality-controlled laboratories, but in hidden rooms with unsanitary
conditions. And instead of patented ingredients, these meds can contain a
haphazard mix of chemicals and fillers like highway paint, floor wax and boric
acid — ingredients and doses that can actually harm you and your family."
It is a serious problem, one which the Department of Justice recognizes poses
great danger, and the government recognizes that they need help--our help.
Attorney General Eric Holder launched a massive public education campaign,
calling for help from all corners, from the TV, the radio, the newspapers, and
blogs."
Because the government can't stop the onslaught alone, in his public
campaign, Holder has asked that all Americans be proactive when buying their
medications.
He strongly encouraged online-prescription-buyers to follow these tips to
avoid counterfeit and possibly harmful products, and these are his warnings
verbatim:
- Don’t buy drugs from sites that sell prescription drugs without a
prescription from your own physician.
- Consult the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, which maintains a
list of accredited online pharmacies" [to be sure that the pharmacy from which
you're buying the medication is valid].
- If using an online pharmacy, make sure it has a legitimate brick-and-mortar
street address, as well as a pharmacist on duty and available.
- Discard the medication if it is of a different size or color, or if it has a
different or odd-looking brand insignia from the medication you are used to
taking.
- Discard the medication if it dissolves differently or badly or has a strange
or bitter taste that you are not accustomed to.
- If you suspect a website is selling counterfeit meds, report it here.
- And for more info on buying medicine on the Internet, go to fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates or nabp.net/programs/consumer-protection/buying-medicine-online/counterfeit-drugs/.
By following these simple tips suggested by the FDA, you can help ensure that
the medication your family buys online is what it claims to be."
A new technology may aid in tracking down counterfeit medications. This
September, the Food and and Drug Administration unveiled the Counterfeit
Detection Device #3 or
CD3.
Battery-operated, the machine can emit up to 10 different wavelengths of
ultraviolet and infrared light and can be used on capsules, tablets, powders,
and packaging like inks, papers and covert markings. It's also capable of
detecting products that have been tampered with, re-labeled, or re-glued. It has
already analyzed nearly 100 counterfeit products, finding counterfeits
masquerading as
Crestor,
Lipitor, Oxycontin,
Viagra,
Tamiflu, Singular,
Plavix, and
Wellbutrin.
Protecting Yourself
Huffington Post has a few ideas. Know that
Pfizer has partnered with the
National Association of Boards of
Pharmacy® (NABP) and several other organizations on a YouTube channel,
SpotFakeMeds, that
allows consumers to hear firsthand from anti-counterfeiting experts about what
to look out for and how to buy online safely.
Despite the threats posed by counterfeit medicines, it is possible to safely
purchase legitimate, FDA-approved prescription medicines online if you keep your
eyes open. For example, one way to purchase your meds if you have a valid
prescription is to ensure that you are buying from a legitimate site. All
legitimate sites receive
VIPPS® (Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites)
accreditation from NABP, which indicates one can find there FDA-approved
medications for purchase. A list of VIPPS-accredited pharmacies can be found on
the NABP website,
www.AWARERx.org.
Dr. Sneh Khemka, publishing on
Bupa International, runs through some clues to a
counterfeit pill:
- Spot the difference. Is the lettering on the packaging hazy and printed flat
(rather than raised), or is the expiry date missing?
- Read carefully. Are the labeling and patient information in a language you
understand? If there are misspelled words, contact the manufacturers – it can be
a telltale sign.
- Use your senses. Is the medicine the same size, shape, texture, colour and
taste as your previous prescription?
- Feel for consistency. When you handle the drug does it fall apart easily? If
so, it could signal a fake.
- Do a price check. Does the cost of the drug seem very cheap in comparison
with your official provider? If it’s much lower, it could be a scam.
Now, let's say you're buying the medicine online--what should you keep a
close eye out for?
- Prescriptions. Make sure the website you buy from requires
a prescription and has a pharmacist you can contact for questions.
- Licensing. Only buy from certified online pharmacies.
Search the website for a declaration of authenticity or certification and
double- check this with your country’s official drug regulatory agency. For
example, pharmacies in the UK that are registered with the Royal Pharmaceutical
Society of Great Britain can display a logo on their website.
- Security. Don’t supply any credit card numbers unless you
are sure the website has policies in place to protect your information and has a
secure online payment system.
- Promises. Statements such as ‘no risk’ and ‘money-back
guarantees’ can be key giveaways of a counterfeit website.
In short, if the way you're getting your medicine seems just too good to be
true--then it very likely is, and the dangers of buying your medicine that way
are manifold. It is in your own greatest interest to make sure that the drugs
you are buying are indeed what they advertise themselves to be--and are not
chemicals that create even more problems than they claim to
address
Source:
Counterfeit
Prescription Drugs: How to Protect Yourself - Drugsdb.com http://www.drugsdb.com/blog/counterfeit-prescription-drugs.html#ixzz2GXn3Z6VG