Beware of counterfeit medicines

Fake medicines in circulation

04/05/2013

In Germany, more and more fake medicines are appearing. Medical representatives warn against the health risks that emanate from the imitations. For example, the active ingredients contained vary greatly.

The Internet: Ideal for the drug industry
Physicians and consumer advocates warn of the increase in counterfeit drugs in the German pharmaceutical market. The Secretary General of the German Society of Internal Medicine, Professor Ulrich Fölsch, warns: „They pose a potent threat to human health.“ Doctors say that about half of all drugs traded on the internet are counterfeit. At 20 percent are even substances that can lead to physical damage. Since high prices for medicines must be paid in Germany, the Internet is ideal for the drug industry. This allows companies to theoretically sell their cheap alternatives to customers worldwide. It is not just about so-called lifestyle products such as sexual enhancers and anabolic steroids, but also about prescription drugs such as antibiotics, painkillers and drugs for AIDS and cancer therapy. The German Society for Internal Medicine (DGIM) warns that the counterfeits are difficult to identify as such. The packaging and appearance of the pill are deceptively imitated.

Protection against counterfeiting
If a leaflet is missing, the DGIM advises in any case from taking the remedy. Furthermore, it is warned against ordering on dubious websites. Although it has already caused scandals through the sale of drug imitations in pharmacies, such as a few years ago in northern Germany, nevertheless, the purchase of drugs in a local pharmacy or a reputable Internet pharmacy is recommended. In addition, customers have little ability to protect themselves. Consistent drug control can only be done by the competent authorities. Therefore, associations of drug manufacturers, wholesalers and pharmacies in Germany have the „securPharm System“ developed, in which each pack carries a coded serial number. The system is still being tested and initial results are expected soon. By 2017, the EU plans to introduce additional safeguards.

Extremely high profit margins
The World Health Organization identifies drugs whose identity or provenance is intentionally mislabeled as „forgery“. For some of the illegally traded drugs, the profit margin is more than 200 times. The counterfeit medicines, although often much cheaper, but also partially ineffective or have dangerous side effects, said the CEO of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), Martin Wansleben, to the Saarbrücken newspaper. Many people would now bring medicines from their holidays, „without questioning why they are so cheap“.

Health risks due to counterfeiting
Drug imitations can endanger life. Since even highly effective agents for cancer and AIDS therapy are imitated or those that are used for cardiovascular diseases, there is a high health risk for the respective patients, as among other things the active ingredients could be incorrectly dosed. Scientists have also found in anti-malaria studies that 20 to 42 percent of the drugs tested were of poor quality or falsified. („“Every year, hundreds of thousands of people worldwide die of malaria infection. (Sb)

Picture credits: Rainer Sturm