Counterfeit Medicines Q&A from Pfizer

October 27th, 2009
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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?

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.

counterfeit medicines

IFPMA Issues: Counterfeit Medicines

October 27th, 2009
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Counterfeit Medicines

Position
Trade in counterfeit drugs is widespread and affects both developing and developed countries. All medicines are subject to counterfeiting, both branded and generic.

Counterfeit drugs are found under different forms, including:

  • Products with the correct ingredients (but often with incorrect quantities of active ingredients, or time-expired active ingredients, creating an increased risk of drug resistance. The product may also have been relabelled, which can lead to allergic reactions and harmful interactions with other drugs);
  • Products with the wrong ingredients (possibly toxic and therefore directly harmful to patients);
  • Products without active ingredient (leaving patients at risk as their disease is left without treatment)

It is virtually impossible to tell the difference between real and fake medicines. Taking for granted that the drugs can be trusted, patients, doctors and other medical staff often do not even suspect that there is anything wrong with their medicines. However, not only is it in most cases hard to detect suspicious products, but there is also a lack of public awareness about counterfeit drugs and their seemingly uncontrolled presence on the market. As a consequence, medicines that do not work or cause unusual side-effects are rarely even reported, since symptoms (including deaths) are usually attributed to the disease. From a judicial perspective, prosecution is complicated by the fact that the evidence of counterfeiting is consumed.

Because the public health risk of counterfeit medicines recognizes no national boundaries, companies have created the Pharmaceutical Security Institute (PSI) and developed global security strategies to ensure public safety and product integrity. The pharmaceutical industry works closely with law enforcement and regulatory agencies in both developed and developing countries to implement a multilayered security strategy focused on both prevention and enforcement. The IFPMA’s Director General serves as President of the PSI.

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Republic of Equador President Rafael Correa Speaks on Pharmaceutical Patent Policy

October 26th, 2009
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Excerpt:

MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2009
Filed from Portland, Oregon

PRESIDENT CORREA’S POLICY PRESCRIPTION

“I as President can order that we issue a compulsory license for Brand X, so they can copy this medicine and make generics, and the people have access to this medicine, to health, to a cure for their illness. [Applause.] And this is exactly what we are going to begin to do, with respect to medicines, with respect to agrochemicals, with respect to everything possible.”

Rafael CORREA Delgado
July 16, 2009

Context: Rafael Correa is the president of the Republic of Ecuador. First, elected in 2006, President Correa was re-elected as the leader of his country of 14.6 million people in April. The comment above is from a speech he gave this past summer on national television - and before a live audience. That was the speech. On Sunday, October 18, President Correa announced his intention to move forward with a policy of compulsory licensing for pharmaceuticals.

Comments, Part I. There are a number of strands to this story. One thread leads to the Ecuador’s economic policies, especially those involving Ecuador’s dealings with the rest of the world. From the repudiation of debt to the raising of numerous tariffs, these are policies that have gotten the world’s attention.

Another strand links to the WTO tortured discussions and current policies on “access to medicines.” WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy has described these policies as a balance between the long-term need to foster innovation and the short term necessity of ensuring that poor countries have access to the medicines they need at prices they can afford to pay.

A third strand, of course, relates to the global discussion of healthcare policy.

Read the rest of the thoughts on President Correa’s pharmaceutical patent policy.

Pharmaceutical Patents