Counterfeit drugs pose a lot of unseen risks, writes Meera Murugesan
IF it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. It’s an expression we often hear but it is also the safest approach to use when dealing with vendors who claim to have a quick fix or miracle cure for a variety of health problems, from diabetes and hypertension to cancer and erectile dysfunction (ED).
Whether these claims are made through savvy online advertisements, or the near-vulgar ones targeting men’s sexual health stuck on lamp posts in the city, falling prey to them can mean putting our health at great risk since we may end up consuming counterfeit medicines.
According to a report by Emerging Markets Health Network published in March 2013, five per cent of medicines in Malaysia are counterfeit and in 2012, more than 40,000 unregistered products worth more than RM23.5 million were seized. The majority was meant for the treatment of men’s health.
While the counterfeit medicine trade is a problem the world over and includes everything from fake cough mixtures and painkillers to oncology drugs, medicines meant to treat ED are the most common, says Mark Robinson, director of global security APAC for Pfizer.
CON THE CONSUMER
Robinson says counterfeiters put a lot of effort into making the fakes resemble the originals.
“Their goal is to fool a consumer into thinking he is taking a product from a reputable brand,” he says.
To the untrained eye, a fake may look the same as the original. Some consumers may even believe they are taking a generic version of a legitimate drug.
Others are convinced into purchasing and consuming these counterfeits because they are much cheaper than the originals.
HEALTH HAZARD
The reality is that not only are counterfeit drugs manufactured under extremely deplorable conditions, but they may also not contain the active pharmaceutical ingredient that delivers the therapeutic benefit, or they may contain the incorrect dosage or the wrong active ingredient.
What’s worse is that they may also contain substances like pesticides, heavy metals, arsenic, chalk, plaster, brick dust and printer ink.
Rat poison, floor polish and anti-freeze have also been detected in these products.
“We have even come across counterfeits where leaded highway paint was used to give the tablets a shine,” says Robinson, who adds that buying medicines on the internet is also far from safe. About 50 per cent of people who purchase drugs online will end up with a counterfeit product.
One reason the trade is so widespread globally is that it is highly profitable, even more than dealing in heroin. Sentencing remains low for those convicted.
“It involves people in organised crime, terrorists, drug and firearms smugglers,” says Robinson.
HIDDEN PROBLEM
In Malaysia, those who are most likely to consume counterfeit medications are men suffering from ED.
The majority of men here who are affected by ED would rather keep it under wraps than seek medical treatment. It is the same throughout Asia.
To avoid the embarrassment of seeing a doctor and to prevent their wives or partners from finding out about their problem, they try to self-medicate using drugs they purchase over the internet or from street peddlers.
Even those who actually seek treatment will try to hide that from their wives, says Professor Dr George Lee, consultant urological surgeon and associate professor at Monash University. They will tear off the packaging on the medicine or keep it hidden so no one finds out what they are suffering from.
“Almost 50 per cent of men who go to their doctor for ED would have tried self-medicating first. The culture of keeping silent on a problem like this drives men underground to seek treatment.”
Men who turn to unlicensed medicine peddlers actually believe they can resolve the problem on their own or that they can obtain larger quantities of ED drugs at cheaper prices from these sources.
But not only are they putting their health at risk, failure to seek treatment may mean the real reason for their ED is never identified, much less resolved.
Danger in counterfeits
COUNTERFEIT drugs refer to medications produced by copying or imitating an original product without authority or right and with a view to deceive, defraud and market the copies as the original.
Counterfeit drugs pose a range of health dangers. They can lead to failure to provide effective treatment, cause direct harm to patients and cause drug resistance.
Studies have shown that the possible sources of counterfeits come from the internet, street peddlers, drugstores and adult shops.
GLOBAL PROBLEM
The World Health Organisation estimates that six per cent of the world’s medicines are counterfeits.
Counterfeit versions of at least 75 Pfizer medicines have been confirmed in at least 107 countries.
As of Sept 30 this year, counterfeit versions of 26 Pfizer medicines have breached legitimate supply chains in 60 countries.
Pfizer provides training to law enforcement agencies globally to curb the counterfeit trade. Since 2004, this has prevented more than 172.62 million doses of counterfeit Pfizer medicines from reaching patients.
Curbing the trade
TO further curb the counterfeit trade, Pfizer has introduced the Patient Authentication via SMS or Pass.
Pass allows consumers to verify the authenticity of a Pfizer product post purchase directly with the manufacturer.
The system is now operating with its urology product range and will eventually extend to other products.
Consumers just have to SMS the 15 digit serial code on their product to a service hotline and they will instantly receive verification on the authenticity of their product.