http://w w .bus w inessl in/cgi-bin/print ine. .pI?frle:2l10O723 52600200. ..

Rii5iness Line
Date:230712010 I URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.corr/2010 / stories 107 /23 /201007 52600200.htm 23 BackChinese-origin oMade in India' fake medicines seizedin Nigeria

P.T.JyothiDatta Mumbai,July 22 It cameasa "shocker" to V S IntemationalfounderMr Vidyut Shah,when a fake consignment ofhis flagship Ciprotab valuedat aboutRs 1 crore,wasseLedin brand, Nigeria,late last month. Though fakescarried"Made in India" labels, consignment not touched the the had Indian shores. Having originatedin China,the fake consignment travelledvia had Frankfurtandreached Nigeria'sAbuja Internationalairyort, wherethe seizures were madeby Nigeria'sregulatoryauthority - NADFAC. And if it could get any worse,the fakeCiprotab contained little or no activeingredient ofthe actualmedicine, saysa worried Mr Shah,quotingNafdac. Largesthaul Thisis among year'slargest the haulof Chinese-origin "Made in India" fakes,observes Phatmexcil Executive DirectorDr P.V.Appaji, adding that suchincidents hurt the image oflndian drug-makers capable generic as suppliers of medicines. fact,whensimilar In incidents surfaced ayear ago, UnionCommerce the Ministrydid takeit up with Chinese authorities there was a lull, but it seems haveraisedits headagain,he pointsout. and to Concemed with the imageand quality of India'sdrugexports,the Commerce Ministry hasalsoasked pharmaceutical the industry takestrong to anti-counterfeiting measures andgeta gip on the qualityofproducts,says Appaji,elsethey couldevenlosetheir Dr exportlicence. (Pharmaceutical Pharmexcil ExportPromotion has Council) alsoappointed agency an to studyanti-counterfeiting measures, with a reportto be submittedto Commerce Ministry in a month. added. he

I of 2

24/07 /2010 12:24 PM

http://www.business line.inlcgi-bin/print.pl?file2} l O07 5260 O.. 23 O2O -

A!9ut 60 per cent of Nigeria'sdrug importsarefrom India, and in the pasttoo, the entry of fake drugsinto Nigeria had lead to the blacKistingof someIndian drug companies.' Mostfaked This time around,Mr Shahworries,his antibiotic ciprotab is not only market-leader in its category,but alsoone of the four most-faked productsin Nigeria with six of r0 packs of the producton the market-shelffound to be fake. A makerandexporterofpharmaceuticalandhealthcare products,VSI hasbeenin Nigeriasince1995, workswith a localpartnerandhas40 products registered Nigeria. in Despiteits anti-counterfeitmeasures, may haveto look at local pioduction in vsl Nigeria, suggested Nafdac,says Shah. as by Mr Related Stories: Africa'srisingstar.andIndia @Copyright2000 2X[gTheHinduBusiness Line

2 ofZ

2410712010 PM 12:24