Combatting counterfeit medicines

Counterfeit medicines represent a significant global crisis affecting every country, including developed nations.

The World Health Organization warned two days ago of the spread of three counterfeit batches of the ‘Semaglutide’ medication used to treat Type 2 Diabetes and obesity in some countries. It also noted that these counterfeit batches had been detected in both Brazil and the United Kingdom in October 2023 and the United States in December 2023.

The pharmaceutical industry is considered one of the best-selling activities around the world. One of the main reasons for the spread of counterfeit medicines is the spread of Internet sites that sell medicines without prescriptions. This has contributed to increasing the sales of this type of medicine and the ease of access to it.

WHO further stated that patients who use these products could protect themselves from counterfeit medications and their harmful effects by taking measures such as purchasing medications with prescriptions from licenced doctors and avoiding purchasing them from unfamiliar or unreliable sources, such as those found on the Internet.

If the counterfeit medicine trade is so widespread, a logical question is: Can you as the user, spot counterfeit medicines before you take them? Detecting counterfeit medicines may not be easy for consumers.

But on the other hand, some ways may enable you to avoid buying counterfeit medicines. People should always check the packaging and expiration dates of medicines when purchasing them, and use the products according to the prescription.

Every medicine that is manufactured in a company other than its original company is counterfeit. Every medicine that does not have the name of the manufacturer and country of origin on it is counterfeit, and every medicine that does not contain the active ingredient contains ineffective ingredients or substances other than the original active ingredient is counterfeit. Also, any expired medicine is considered counterfeit medicine, regardless of its source.

To identify the adulterated medication, one must follow the following:

Medicines, especially life-saving medicines, should not be dispensed except from a pharmacy and in the presence of a specialised pharmacist, because he is more knowledgeable about counterfeit medicines than anyone else.

If you suspect that the medicine is counterfeit, you must note if there are spelling errors, bad printing, or a change in the colours of the drug packaging or pharmaceutical form from the original medicine known to us.

The production and expiration dates must be compared in the numbers on the package and the numbers on the inner strip because any difference means that the medicine is counterfeit.

It is always preferable to have a trusted doctor or pharmacist to refer to if you suspect any of these cases.

Counterfeit medicines have become a global phenomenon and a cross-border trade, as counterfeit or counterfeit medicines are a threat to any health system, due to their direct and significant impact on the system and the treatment of patients.

Experts confirm that drug fraud is a global phenomenon, and global rates indicate that drug fraud represents about 10 per cent of the size of the drug market in the world.