Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Fake Medicine
Fake Medicine
Medicine
By: Licudine and
Multibillion-dollar illicit
trade
Funding Terrorism
In March 2006, the U.S. Attorneys Office
indicted 18 people for a multimillion-dollar
international conspiracy to smuggle untaxed
cigarettes, counterfeit Viagra and other goods
to raise money for the Middle East terrorist
group Hezbollah. The alleged scheme,
operated from 1996 to 2004, was based in
Dearborn, Michigan and received counterfeit
Viagra from China and Eastern Europe for
distribution across the United States.
Source: http://www.istorya.net/
MANILA, Philippines - Based on Department of
Health (DOH) figures, 10% or 1 of every 10
medicines in the country is fake, according to
the Samahan Laban sa Pekeng Gamot
(Samahan).
"Consumers unwittingly buy from drug stores
with counterfeit medicines. If that patient
dies, no one will be going to report anymore
because the patient is already dead," said Dr.
Maria Minerva Calimag, Samahan spokesman
and chair of the Cosmetics Committee of the
Philippine Medical Association (PMA).
http://www.tempo.com.ph/2012/04/0
1/pakistani-nabbed-for-fake-drugs/
Manila, Philippines The Philippine National
Police (PNP) warned the people yesterday to
be wary of popular medicines and vitamins
they are buying after the confiscation of
counterfeit drugs and the arrest of a foreigner
selling them.
Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr., head of the PNP
Criminal Investigation and Detection Group
(CIDG), said police are now hunting down the
two other foreign cohorts of 54-yearold
Pakistani Mohammed Yousof Ali who was
collared in a raid in Bacoor, Cavite.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/443225/
counterfeit-drugs-worth-p700million-seized-in-binondo-raid
MANILA, Philippines Authorities on Thursday seized some
P700 million worth of fake medicines and health supplements
during a raid on a warehouse in Binondo, Manila.
The raid on the warehouse along Roman Street was conducted
by operatives from the Bureau of Customs, Intellectual
Property Office and National Bureau of Investigation.
Among the fake medicines and health supplement seized by
the operatives were about 60,000 tablets and capsules of
Viagra Happy Hour, a sex enhancement medicine; 132,000
capsules with Maitong brand; over 60,000 Ballet Dancer
slimming capsules; slimming tea; anti-itch creams; cough
syrups; and fish liver oils.
When buying in
Pharmacy
Buy medicines only from licensed pharmacies
and get a receipt. Do not buy medicines from
open markets.
Ask the pharmacist whether the drug has the
same active ingredient as the one that you were
taking.
Make sure that the medicine is in its original
packaging.
Look closely at the packaging. Sometimes poorquality printing or otherwise strange-looking
packaging will indicate a counterfeit product.
Boric acid -
used
as
anantiseptic,insecticide,flame
retardant,neutron absorber, or precursor to other
chemical compounds.
Leaded highway paint
Floor polish
Heavy metals
Nickel- used incoin
Arsenic - used in the production ofpesticides,
treated wood products, herbicides,
andinsecticides.
Brick dust and chalk
CONCLUSION
The menace of drug counterfeiting is a serious public
problem. Reducing or preventing the problem is primary
duty of every responsible nation. Drug industries,
healthcare providers, consumers and governments are
necessary partners in this regard. Tackling corruption at
various levels of the pharmaceutical systems is
indispensable for the success of the crusade against
fake drugs. Also, due to the limited resources of the
developing countries that are worst affected with this
problem as well as the infectious nature of the problem,
there is need for international collaboration in the fight
against this crime.
More studies examining the efficacy of the various
strategies tried worldwide against drug counterfeiting
may be quiet helpful in reducing or even preventing this
menace.
The End