Profitability of Counterfeit Drugs Necessitates Improved Prevention Techniques

Scott LaGanga, director of the Partnership for Safe Medicines, says that consumers often trust the supply chain to deliver an authentic product, yet in much of the developing world this trust could be broken because it's become so profitable to distribute, sell, and manufacture counterfeit drugs. Nigeria's government is fighting to keep consumers' trust using mobile phone technology. "We have developed a technology which makes it easy for consumers to authenticate medication at the point of purchase. There is a scratch panel - just like a lottery ticket with number on the drug - each drug has a different number. When you buy a drug, you scratch the panel, you send a text message with the number that you see, and you get a response instantly at the counter if the drug is genuine or fake," said Ashifi Gogo, who heads the phone company. ("Counterfeit Medicines Grow as Global Threat," Voice of America, June 7, 2010; Story here)

Customs Officers From Around the Globe Unite to Fight Counterfeit Drugs

Counterfeit drugs have become a $200-billion-a-year industry and the 176-nation World Customs Organization (WCO) will sign a declaration later this month to fight the scourge, an official said on Thursday. On June 24, 176 national customs chiefs will sign a declaration to ban the making and marketing of counterfeit drugs. "We have more fakes than real drugs in the market," said Christophe Zimmermann, the WCO's anti-counterfeiting and piracy coordinator. Western Europeans spend an estimated 10.5 billion euros ($14.3 billion) a year on illicitly sourced medicines. In a sign Europe is taking the issue seriously too, justice ministers on the Council of Europe are set to ratify a convention on counterfeit drugs in Istanbul this November. ("Customs group to fight $200 Bln Bogus Drug Industry," Reuters, June 10, 2010; Story here)

Taiwan: Anti-Drug Task Force Leads to Increase in Counterfeit Drug Cases

The number of cases in May involving the illegal sale of counterfeit drugs increased significantly after the formation of a Cabinet anti-drug task force in April, Department of Health (DOH) Minister Yaung Chih-liang said Thursday. In May, the number of illegal drug cases averaged 204 per week and 96 were referred to law enforcement agencies. This was a sharp increase from April when drug cases averaged 48 cases per week and 11 were referred to law enforcement authorities. Most of the illegal drugs seized were weight-loss products, lifestyle drugs and anti-inflammatory painkillers. ("Illegal Drug Cases Increase After Formation of Task Force: DOH," Focus Taiwan, June 10, 2010; Story here)