Pharmaceutical News 2.0

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is very concerned with the growing problem of counterfeit medicines and the negative consequences on the prevention and treatment of disease, which can include poor treatment outcomes, or failure of treatment, loss of confidence in health care, resistance to antibiotics and poisoning due to harmful ingredients.

ICN supports international initiatives to combat counterfeiting and urges nurses and NNAs to collaborate with pharmacy associations, pharmacists, physicians and others to disseminate accurate information on detection and elimination of counterfeit medicines. More specifically ICN supports actions that aim to:

• Strengthen quality assurance and medicines regulatory authorities.
• Detect and expose sources of counterfeit medicines.
• Improve supply of medicines to health facilities.
• Educate nurses in detection and prevention of counterfeit medicines.
• Monitor for any failure of treatment that could be a sign of counterfeit medicine.
• Educate and create awareness among the public of counterfeit medicines.

Background

According to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), counterfeit medicines make up more than 10% of the global medicines available in the market and are available in both developed and developing countries. Though there is no accurate data, the World Health Organization has announced that up to 25% of medicines consumed in developing nations, often to treat life-threatening conditions, are believed to be counterfeit or substandard. All medicines and even vaccines can be counterfeited with serious consequences to patients and the health care system.

Patients and consumers are the primary victims of counterfeit medicines. In order to protect them from the harmful effects of counterfeit medicines it is necessary to provide them with appropriate information and education on the consequences of counterfeit medicines. As frontline health care providers, nurses are key players in increased vigilance for counterfeit medicines and increased reporting of possible counterfeit drugs.

Counterfeit medicines, as deliberate and fraudulent products with questionable efficacy, represent a serious challenge to the treatment or prevention of disease. According to the World Health Organization’s definition a counterfeit medicine is one, which is deliberately and fraudulently mislabeled with respect to identity and/or source.

Counterfeiting can apply to both branded and generic products and counterfeit products may include products with the correct ingredients or with the wrong ingredients, without active ingredients, with insufficient active ingredients or with fake packaging.

Read more here.

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One in 10 UK men interviewed recently admitted to purchasing prescription-only medicines from unregulated sources, without a prescription. What they probably don’t know is that it’s estimated that between 50 and 90 per cent of medicines sold in this way have proven to be counterfeit which means they are taking a real gamble with their health.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 10% of all medicines available around the world are counterfeit.

And counterfeiters do not only target medicines for weight loss, smoking cessation and erectile dysfunction (ED) but also pain, heart and mental health conditions.

The cinema commercial on this site portrays a man pulling a dead rat from his mouth after taking a counterfeit pill. This site allows you to view the commercial, learn more about the dangers of counterfeit drugs and share this information with friends and colleagues.

Watch a video about the danger of counterfeit medicines.

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This product information is intended only for residents of the United States.

• How do you know when you’ve purchased a counterfeit product?
• What are the dangers of taking counterfeit products?
• How can you avoid buying or receiving counterfeit products?
• How serious a problem is the counterfeiting of prescription medicines?
• What are the causes of counterfeiting?
• What are the consequences of counterfeiting?
• What is Pfizer doing to combat the counterfeiting problem?
• What can be done to improve the situation?
• What can you do to help?

How do you know when you’ve purchased a counterfeit product?

Consumers may not know that the medicines they’ve purchased are counterfeits. That’s why it’s important to purchase prescription products from a pharmacy and pharmacist with whom you’re familiar.

In some cases, patients have noticed a different taste, consistency, or appearance of products that are later identified as being counterfeit, or they may have a different reaction to the counterfeit drug.

If you suspect the Pfizer product you have pruchase may be counterfeit, contact us at 1-800-438-1985

What are the dangers of taking counterfeit products?

One of the biggest concerns is that you may not be getting the therapeutic benefit you expect from the product. For example, a drug you count on to lower your cholesterol level—or to shrink a cancerous tumor—may not be providing any benefit at all because it’s counterfeit. Or the product may contain too much active ingredient, which also could be harmful. A fake drug also could interact with other medications you’re taking and create potential health issues.

Counterfeit products may be manufactured in substandard environments without appropriate controls that ensure their safety and efficacy and they could contain dangerous contaminants.

Given the present environment in which we live, there also is a concern that counterfeit drugs could be used as a tool by terrorists.

Finally, counterfeit products undermine the basic tenet of our health care system: to enable people to live healthier, happier lives.

Read the rest of these Q&A’s on counterfeit medicines.

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