Today, more people than ever put their health in danger by purchasing counterfeit medicines. Up to 15 percent of all drugs sold worldwide are fake, and in some parts of Africa and Asia the figure exceeds 50 percent. This illegal trade, which has been spurred by the growth of the internet over the last decade, is predicted to generate US$75 billion in revenue this year alone. It’s a monstrous, money-making industry that has successfully infiltrated every corner of the globe.

Counterfeit medicines are medicines that are produced illegally with intent to deceive the recipient in some way. The labelling, information leaflet and packaging may look almost identical to the real version; so much so that very few people would be able to tell the difference. The same applies to the appearance of the medicine itself – but not to the content. Fake drugs can contain anything from inactive or ineffective ingredients to mixtures of toxic substances. The truth is if your medicine has come from an unknown source, you may be risking treatment failure or even death.

A large proportion of the world’s counterfeit medicines originate in Asia, particularly from China. Across the country, between 50 and 85 percent of some drugs are fake and kill up to 300,000 people each year.

Currently, the State Food and Drug Administration of China doesn’t regulate the production or trading of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), so it’s difficult to contain the problem. This has an impact on countries all around the world as huge batches of fake drugs are shipped out to be sold for profit. For example, in December 2009, at the height of the H1N1 flu pandemic, US customs officials seized more than 50 shipments of counterfeit Oseltamivir (the antiviral drug for H1N1 flu).

Counterfeiters have become so confident in their abilities that they have now moved on from just producing lifestyle drugs such as those for erectile dysfunction to replicating life-saving medications like the main cholesterol lowering blockbusters, and even some cancer drugs. Because of the recent surge in counterfeit cancer drugs, the US Food and Drug Administration is urging consumers not to fall for bogus claims made by the illegal distributors. False and misleading statements often include ‘non-toxic’, ‘doesn’t make you sick’ and ‘treats all forms of cancer’.

Sadly, the trade doesn’t stop at fake cancer treatments. There are even medicines available on the internet advertised as ‘miracle drugs’ for medically incurable diseases. Although this is clearly exploitative behaviour, it can often be very difficult for authorities to shut down these illegal outlets because the contact details they provide are just as fake as the medicines they supply.

So, counterfeit medicines, to buy or not to buy? That really is the question. The best advice I can give is to cast judgement when you buy medicines and bear in mind that “All that glistens is not gold”; that is, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Contact
Bupa International, the world’s largest international expatriate health insurance provider has been caring for the insurance needs of over 800,000 members around the globe for 39 years. For more information, visit www.bupa-intl.com; or call +44 (0) 1273 322 070