The World Health Organization estimates that one million people die each year from taking counterfeit drugs. In Poland, even every hundredth drug may be a “counterfeit” – said Dr. Natalia Daśko from the Faculty of Law and Administration of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.
«It is estimated that global profits from the sale of counterfeit drugs are between 150 and 200 billion euros per year. This makes this practice the most lucrative of the entire counterfeiting business »- Daśko pointed out.
The expert identified two groups of counterfeit drugs: cheap drugs, mass-produced drugs, incl. preparations for slimming, alopecia, potency drugs and painkillers as well as drugs used in life-threatening diseases – e.g. tuberculosis, malaria, HIV, AIDS and cancer.
«The trend is changing because 10 years ago drugs for serious diseases were in the minority among counterfeit products, and now they account for more than half of this market. The problem of counterfeit medicines mainly affects developing countries. There, from 30 to 70 percent. drugs on the market is counterfeit. In developed countries, where control over the supply chain is more effective, the penetration of “fakes” into the market is limited “- added Daśko, who deals with the topic on a daily basis and conducts research on the problem of counterfeiting in Poland – on the basis of court practice.
The lawyer added that on the Internet you can buy counterfeit practical drugs everywhere – on auction sites, social networks, in online stores, sometimes even pretending to be legal pharmacies.
«Consumers are obviously guided by the price. These drugs are cheaper, but today we can no longer say that they are much cheaper. It is less embarrassing, you don’t have to leave the house, go to the doctor or ask for a prescription. In such cases, the buyer is guided not by common sense, but by the price – naively looking for drugs from unproven sources. Counterfeit medicines may be contaminated, contaminated or contain toxic substances or the wrong composition at all. Often they also have inactive ingredients – in no way improving or (causing) deterioration of health »- explained the expert.
She added that “counterfeits” may also have active ingredients in the wrong doses, too strong or improperly mixed, and research shows that counterfeit medicines contain rat poisons, floor wax, cement, plaster and similar substances.
The World Health Organization estimates that one million people die every year from taking counterfeit drugs. Interpol has the same data (…). Taking such drugs may also cause long-term diseases or allergies »- Daśko explained.
The lawyer emphasized that in Poland this market is not yet well recognized, and the research of her group is innovative and is to show the scale of the phenomenon.
«The most important motivator when buying is the price. It also works with specialist drugs, which are often unavailable in Poland. Drugs used in various cancer therapies are legally unavailable to the common consumer or have an prohibitive price. There are estimates by the World Health Organization, which show that Poles spend about PLN 100 million a year on counterfeit drugs, and every hundredth drug on the Polish market is counterfeit »- added Daśko.
She reminded that Poland was probably the largest factory of counterfeit drugs in the world, where mainly steroids were produced.
«It was a factory located near Bydgoszcz, which operated very professionally. The method of production and distribution indicated high specialization. The criminal group that dealt with it had a very business approach to the subject. The scale of their activity was appalling »- explained a lawyer from the Nicolaus Copernicus University.
She added that the most counterfeit medicines still come from the Far East, where production costs and cheap labor are the lowest.
«Most of the factories are located in China or India. However, we are seeing a clear change. Regional production in the EU is increasing. It makes life easier for counterfeiters, as the entire transport process is bypassed, and goods do not have to flow all over the world »- concluded Daśko.