- Author Peter Anderson
- Published October 22, 2015
- Word count 425
Counterfeiting has been a term developed by World Health Organization (WHO) and has already been used by other non-profit organizations.
The Peterson Group, a non-profit organization campaigning against the proliferation of counterfeit medicines noted that there are other terms used to describe the illegal production of medicines using fraudulent ingredients. Sub-standard and fakes are among the terms used.
By 2015, thousands of people from all walks of life who has been victimized by fraud medicines, some of which have never recovered their health and has cost great number of lives. Moreover, taking into consideration the economic peril it can also bring forth, counterfeiting medicines are worth $10billion dollar of loss. Jakarta, Indonesia and Beijing, China are recorded to have the largest loss in the last 5 years being the largest distributor of fraud meds as well.
This phenomenon is not yet realized though and most countries are knowingly not paying that much attention to the economic loss and mortality rate brought by this issue, with a considerable reason as well. They give out warnings but not to the extent of pushing the red button.
Taking it seriously would also cause alarm from citizens, with a great risk of medical losses since the integrity of medical drugs and its safety can decrease because of the awareness of counterfeit medicines. But nothing can be in greater risk of loss of reputation that doctors and medical professionals.
Doctors, who are not aware of the existence of a specific counterfeit medicine, can prescribe it to their patients. Many people still had not realized that the cause of their ailments is the intake of dangerous substance included in the medicine that they have purchased. They would never have imagined that their own license as a doctor cannot be jeopardized because what they have prescribed has counterfeited copy available. The fear of being traced it back, albeit they are not necessarily at fault, is common. Many doctors are ridiculed, with the licenses revoked because they are unaware of their medications being used as counterfeit. The law punishes them since someone has to be punished and justice has to be imposed to someone. The counterfeiters are not known and it would take time, money and effort to track them down, so why not blame it to the confused doctor instead?
Of course not all who are known to prescribe counterfeit medicines are innocent of their crimes. Some of them even have a license to practice at all.
If this issue does not stop, though, thousands more, including doctors and pharmaceutical companies, will be victimized.