The Marketing of Counterfeit International Pharmaceutical Products: The Problem and a Proposed Solution

Abstract

The increase in product counterfeiting has been significant in the last five years. The most dramatic modification in counterfeiters’ strategies involves the sale of bogus industrial and medical products, rather than solely focusing on nationally branded consumer products. The impact of counterfeit pharmaceutical products being sold in the United States could be devastating to consumer confidence in the prescription drug industry. This paper depicts one method of reducing access to the marketplace for (foreign) pharmaceutical counterfeiters by increasing control over the distribution of prescription drugs in the domestic market.