The Economic and Health Impacts of Counterfeit Medicine - Essay Example

26 June, 2009 The Economic and Health Impacts of Counterfeit Medicine Introduction Medicine in any form is prescribed by physicians to cure ailments or diseases. Over the years, with the advancement of medical research, pharmaceutical companies have been able to produce vaccines and medicines that have helped millions of people worldwide. The earnings generated by pharmaceutical companies worldwide are in billions of dollars. But these companies re-invest their earnings on medical research in order to develop medicines for some illnesses that are still fatal to humans like cancer and AIDS. The advancement of research on certain illnesses makes drugs commercialized in order to supply the demand for better potent medicine. Because of this demand pharmaceutical companies now face the problem of counterfeit medicine (Cockburn, p. 302). The World Health Organization and the US FDA estimates that ten percent (10%) of the medicines and drugs sold in the United States are counterfeit drugs. These drugs are known to be manufactured overseas, particularly in Asia or Africa where it is reported that the real drugs are being sold along side of the counterfeit ones. These counterfeit medicines when taken in may have serious health consequences. A lot of counterfeit medicines sold today are cheaper or almost the same price as that of the real medicine. This also makes them a competitor for legal pharmaceuticals. One of the serious health implications for ingesting these counterfeit drugs are the possible side effects not reported or present in real medicine. Counterfeit medicines are also known to contain little or a different drug ingredient that has not passed FDA approval (US FDA, para.3). The economic repercussion of having these fake drugs available is that legal pharmaceuticals are losing money. Fake drugs may look and have the same packaging, it is sometimes impossible for the average consumer to know which one is fake or counterfeit. Consumers or patients who get a hold of counterfeit medicine also lose money because they do not get the product that they have paid for, and the medicinal benefit of the drug. Add to that the possibility of getting hospitalized because of the adverse effects of the counterfeit drugs, or worse death (Hope, para. 2). The problem of counterfeit medicine has stemmed from the known income earnings of pharmaceutical companies and commercialism. Companies that are trying to outsell each other may try to get sourcing of their raw materials from third world countries and sometimes these medicines contain little or weak proportions of an active ingredient or worse a different active ingredient that can cause adverse affects when taken in the body. Commercialism also plays a role because of the costs or real medicine; consumers may look for alternatives or cheaper brands (Cockburn, p. 302). Making counterfeit or imitation products is a growing trade because it is also raking in big money for counterfeiters. Plus they do not have to invest millions of dollars in research and accreditation in order to put their “medicines” in the market. It is a problem that government and pharmaceutical companies have been aware of many years already but little has been done in order to stop the flow of counterfeit medicines from reaching consumers (Cockburn, p. 303). Another cause for the proliferation of counterfeit drugs is the costs of paying for the real medicine. Pharmaceutical companies also add on to the cost of production the cost for licensing and research. These are being passed on to consumers when they purchase a particular medicine brand. In the consumers’ quests for trying to get the medicine cheaper, they may end up getting counterfeit medicine instead (Shinbabu, para. 6). These counterfeit manufacturers know that their imitation medicine will be accepted and patronized by consumers because their prices are cheaper than the real medicine. But the consumer pays a bigger price in buying these medicines because they may contain little of the active ingredient that is found on the real drug, plus the contamination of other ingredients that can cause health risks to the consumer during packaging and shipping (Hope, para. 2). Drug contamination is also one of the problems faced by consumers when they encounter counterfeit medicine. If they purchase these online, chances are in the shipping and handling, it can already be contaminated. One serious case of drug contamination has been reported to the FDA where the drugs were shipped together with haloperidol which is a regulated drug and an anti psychotic drug (Hope, para. 3). How to Check Fake Medicines from Counterfeit Ones There are some ways a consumer can protect themselves from getting counterfeit medicine. One of the recommendations made by the FDA is that consumers should know their medicine, plus any effect it may have so that when they experience symptoms that is not normally encountered when they usually take in the drug they can seek medical help immediately and report the counterfeit medicine (US FDA, para. 2). Pharmaceutical companies invest in quality control and research before they bring out medicines in the market for consumers. This means that before a particular drug is made available on store shelves, they have to undergo tests according to FDA standards in order to make sure that the medicine will not be harmful to consumers ( Shinbabu, para.10). The FDA also requires pharmaceutical companies not based in the United States who wish to sell their medicine in the United States to have their medicines subject to a series of tests in order to make sure that is safe for human consumption. The FDA also has its own team of physicians and researchers who will conduct the same laboratory tests for these medicines before they can be labeled as safe to use (US FDA, para. 3). Pharmaceutical companies also invest on marketing and advertising in order to create their labels and packaging. It may be as simple as a pain reliever, but on store shelves you can see different brand names with different kinds of packaging. One more reason for the investments that pharmaceuticals are doing on their medicine labeling and packaging is in order for consumers to distinguish which ones are made from a certain pharmaceutical company (Cockburn, p.304). Most counterfeit medicines copy even the packaging and labeling of real medicines. But there are differences that can be seen between the two. One is the way that it has been printed on the carton or box. Fake medicine manufacturers definitely will not invest in large printing machines even if they are earning billions of dollars each year. The print of a counterfeit medicine box can either be smudged, too light, too dark, uneven or may even have misspellings (Hope, para. 5). One way to make sure that the medicine is not counterfeit is to compare it with a sample that can be obtained from a pharmacy or drug store. Most capsules or tablets have embossed logos of the drug manufacturing company. Also take note of the color, texture or even taste of the medicine (Hope, para. 5). What to Check When Buying From Online Pharmacies With the recent outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1) or the Swine Flu, many consumers went online in a panic to buy Tamiflu online. Tamiflu has been the drug that doctors prescribed for patients who caught this disease. Because of the widespread panic, many people ordered Tamiflu online even when they did not have any symptoms of the Swine Flu or any prescription for the drug. Because of this rise in demand for Tamiflu, counterfeit drug manufacturers were able to produce imitation Tamiflu tablets. Consumers reported receiving counterfeit medication. This dilemma of counterfeit Tamiflu added to the concern of the World Health Organization who cautioned people against taking in Tamiflu unless they have been checked by a physician and diagnosed with A(H1N1) because taking in the drug inappropriately may cause a resistance to the virus. One of the major concerns most physicians and drugs companies have about online pharmacies is that some of them are illegal. They may even send medicines that have not passed the FDA standards making it a health risk to consumers. Plus, the usual checks that store pharmacists do which is the checking of prescriptions for regulated drugs, bogus online pharmacies may sell medicines to consumers without asking them to provide such documentation. This makes it easy for consumers and those who are on substance abuse order their drugs online (US FDA, para. 4). The filling in of prescriptions online is made appealing by the fact that it takes little of the consumers’ time to get a prescription filled. There are no lines, long queues or the probability of not having a prescription filled because they forgot or don’t have a prescription. Just a simple mouse click and you’re done (Shinbabu, para. 14). Another main concern when ordering medicines online is that they may send medicines that are manufactured in third world countries. Some consumers have reported receiving their medicines but the box and the pamphlet that contains the drug information is not in English. If the pamphlet contains too many grammatical errors or little information about the medicine, its active ingredients, possible side effects and indication for use chances are it is a counterfeit drug (Cockburn, p.305). The pamphlet that comes with every box of medication contains a lot of information. It lists down any adverse reactions a consumer needs to take precautions with, especially of they are taking in other types of medication. The pamphlet also contains the active ingredients of the drug so that the consumer is aware in order to check if they may be allergic to any of the ingredients (Cockburn, p.305). The pamphlet also contains first aid instructions in case of poisoning. If the pamphlet that contains all of this pertinent information cannot be read or understood by the consumer, imagine what health risks they are putting themselves into. Some medicines that are shipped by online pharmaceuticals may not be counterfeit drugs. But they may have been manufactured in Asia or India where the drug formulation may be different. It has also been reported by the World Health Organization that fifty percent of drugs in Southeast Asia and Africa are counterfeit drugs (Cockburn, p. 303). What to Do When You Encounter Fake Medicines Pharmaceutical companies usually have a toll free number where a consumer can contact them in case that they encounter fake medicine. The pharmaceutical company may ask them to ship the medicine to them and they may replace or pull out from store shelves a particular batch of medicine (Shinbabu, para. 26). The FDA also has a toll free number where consumers can report counterfeit drugs and their source which is usually online. When buying from online pharmacies, make sure that the site has the VIIPS seal which means that the medicines that they are selling have been approved by the FDA (US FDA, para. 1). There are three ways that a consumer can report counterfeit drugs or online pharmacies that sell counterfeit drugs to the FDA. One of them is to call their toll free number. Another way is to fill out their MedWatch form where the FDA will investigate on a particular FDA regulated drug if a consumer reports any adverse reaction that is not listed on the drugs’ pamphlet (US FDA, para 2). The last option for a consumer to report any counterfeit drug is to email their contact email address in order to report any website or spam emails that are advertising possible counterfeit drugs online (US FDA, para. 3). Many pharmaceutical companies and government institutions do not publicize counterfeit medication if ever that they catch any of these contraband. One of the arguments that pharmaceutical companies raise is that it may cause them loss of revenue because consumers might not buy their products because of undue panic ( Cockburn, para. 2). Most legal settlements for any reported adverse drug reactions are handled by lawyers who do not want to publicize the settlements. The counterfeit drug trade reaches an average of $32 billion per year (Sinhababu, para. 5). Counterfeit medicine can kill or make illnesses worse. The components of fake medicine can aggravate illnesses because they contain little or none of the active ingredients that have been prescribed by physicians for patients. Another factor is the cross contamination during the shipment of the medicine with other compounds that may trigger allergic reactions or life-threatening situations. How to Avoid Getting Counterfeit Medicines One of the best ways in order to avoid getting counterfeit medicine is to purchase medicines only from state-licensed pharmaceuticals in the United States. When filling out prescriptions online, the online pharmacy should be accredited with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy or NABP. There is a list of accredited pharmacies across the United States in the FDA website and these have the VIPPS seal that online pharmaceuticals should carry. This seal means that the drugs or medicines that the online pharmacy carries has been tested and approved by the FDA. If ever that a consumer gets a hold of counterfeit medicine, they should dispose of the counterfeit medicine immediately so that they do not risk exposing their family to these counterfeit drugs. Conclusion Like any counterfeit trade, as long as there are consumers that buy counterfeit medicine, the illegal companies that produce them will continue to do so. The internet is also becoming one of the fastest windows for these trades because people who get their prescriptions filled from non- FDA accredited online pharmacies are able to do so without any hassles. State-licensed pharmacies, even online ones, require consumers to present prescriptions before they can buy medicine, especially regulated ones. But there are a lot of illegal and non-FDA accredited pharmacies that sell even regulated drugs to consumers without a prescription. This is where the chance of getting counterfeit medicines comes in. The FDA reports that there is little chance for consumers to get hold of counterfeit drugs in the United States. But that small chance can make a big difference to a patient who no longer responds to medication because their illness has become resistant due to the counterfeit drugs. The government and pharmaceuticals employ private investigators to crack down on counterfeit manufacturers, but there is little information given to the public as to what drugs have been copied or the components of these fake drugs (Cockburn, p. 302). There has been a recommendation made by the World Health Organization for pharmaceutical companies and the government to issue out public alerts within five days of discovering any counterfeit medicine. This is in order to protect consumers of any harmful effects the counterfeit drugs may have on the buying public. But this is still being worked out up to now (Cockburn, p. 306). The transparency of government and pharmaceutical companies is very much needed today. The buying public which has contributed much to the expansion of the pharmaceutical companies in terms of revenue deserve information dissemination in case they or someone they know may be taking that particular brand of medicine. Pharmaceutical companies also have an important role in controlling the proliferation of fake drugs. The answer lies in the cost cutting of the prices of drugs in the market. While it may be argued that these companies need to gain profit. As long as there are some drugs and vaccines that are too expensive for the average consumer, these consumers may try cheaper medicines which may be counterfeit meds (Cockburn, p. 302). There are no rules as to what particular brand or type of medicine these counterfeiters imitate, as long as the medicines are commercially available and there is a demand. One sad case of counterfeiting is when a pharmacist diluted chemotherapy drugs that resulted in the deaths of those who had their prescriptions filled at the pharmacy where he worked. The pharmaceutical company who manufactured the chemotherapy drugs placed themselves out of the blame for the pharmacists’ actions, saying that they had no participation in the individuals’ actions (Cockburn, p. 306). Right now, the responsibility falls on the consumer. It is up to the consumer to know their medicine in order to avoid getting fake ones. Being familiar with the packaging, texture and effect of the medicine will determine if the medicine is counterfeit or not. Consumers may report getting fake drugs, but after reporting these they do not get any feedback from government agencies or the pharmaceutical companies or should they expect any (Shinababu, para. 27.) References “Approved Drugs Questions and Answers”. FDA US Food and Drug Administration. April 2009. “Counterfeit Medicines- Filled With Empty Promises”. FDA US Food and Drug Administration. June 2009. “Reporting of Unlawful Sales of Medical Products on the Internet”. FDA US Food and Drug Administration. June 2009. Cockburn, Robert. “The Global Threat of Counterfeit Drugs: Why Industry and Governments Must Communicate the Dangers”. PLOS Medicine. April 2005: 302-308. 27 June, 2009. Hope, John. “Are You Taking Counterfeit Drugs? Eight Ways to Check Your Drugs to See If They are Fakes”. Suite 101.com. (2008): 13 pars. 26 June 2009. Sinhababu, Supriya. “Extent of Counterfeit Drug Problem and Solutions are Uncertain”. Axcess News. (2007): 28 pars. 26 June 2009. Read More