Public Health Risks and Economic Impact of Counterfeit Medicines

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization, counterfeit medicines are medicines that are fraudulently mislabeled, contain wrong ingredients, absent of active ingredients, contain insufficient active or over-active ingredients or have fake packaging. The production and distribution of counterfeit medicines has become a significant problem in both affluent and developing nations. It is now widely believed that approximately 15% of drugs worldwide could be counterfeit, although in some developing countries it may be closer to 50% and rising. Due to consumer-initiated importation of prescription drugs through internet sites and other means of cross border purchasing, the potential risks of exposure to counterfeit products has increased dramatically. In addition, counterfeit medicines have become more difficult to detect as counterfeiters have become more creative and bold in the manufacturing of fake drugs. This poses an important threat to global public health and patient safety. In addition, the financial loss and irreparable damage to the reputation of pharmaceutical companies, health care centers and dispensing pharmacies is substantial. This paper briefly highlights the incidence and global impact of counterfeit medicines from a public health and economic perspective and addresses some of the strategies including identifying the risks and threat from counterfeit medicines as well as the analytical procedures for combating the growth, availability and trafficking of counterfeit drugs.