E-DRUG: Counterfeit pharmaceuticals-BBC story
---------------------------------------------
Dear colleagues,
The BBC is making a film highlighting the problem of counterfeit pharmaceuticals. They will be filming in India, Nigeria, Benin and the USA over the next few weeks. The production team is eager to speak to health professionals who have been directly effected by the problem or who have an active interest in the subject. In particular they are looking for health professionals who have worked with victims of counterfeit pharmaceuticals or who find that it is a regular problem in their area, especially in Benin, Nigeria and India. If you know of a victim of fake drugs, the event should have occurred within the last three years. Any help on this important subject will be much appreciated.
Please contact david.savill@bbc.co.uk
Thank you
David Savill
BBC Current Affairs : This World
Room 1355 White City. Wood Lane. London
0208 75 27502 > 07947 258 254
david.savill@bbc.co.uk
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
E-DRUG: Counterfeit pharmaceuticals-BBC story (2)
-------------------------------------------------
dear BBC / E-druggers,
We have done some investigation in this field and
would be happy to share the information.
It must be said however that in India, the legal
terminology used is "Spurious" (as defined in Section
17B of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act) which is not
restricted to fake medicines but also real medicines
that may be sold under well known brand names without
trade mark holder's permission. The exact quotation
is:
A drug shall be deemed to be spurious:
17-B (e): if it purports to be the product of a
manufacturer of whom its not truly a product.
Thus when the regulatory authorities seize a product,
they check with the original trade mark holder and the
moment the company denies having marketed the
particular batch, it is labelled "Spurious" without
getting it chemically examined.
The raw material (bulk drug) cost of various medicines
in India is so low that it is foolish to make really
fake drugs in most cases. In fact in large majority of
cases, the cost of tableting, strip printing and
making and packagaing is far more than the cost of
ingredients. For example paracetamol is available in
India at Rs. 152 per kg (US$3.40). One needs just
5000mg (5g) for a strip of 10 tablets. The raw
material cost is barely Indian rupees 0.76 (less than
2 US cents) while the sale price is over Rs. 7. Hence
whether one uses real paracetamol or chalk powder,
there is little difference in cost. However in
expensive medicines (very few) the situation is
different.
Actually the broad definition is being used by large
manufacturers to settle trade mark issues with
offenders under the garb of protecting people's
health.
The figure of 20% or so drugs in India being fake is
absurd. That is not say that there are no fake
medicines but the often quoted figure is sky high
mainly because of the legal definition.
Dr. Chandra M. Gulhati
Editor, MIMS INDIA
(Monthly Index of Medical Specialities)
New Delhi, India.
e-mail: indianmims@yahoo.co.in
Tel: 91 11 26433115/26234875
Fax: 91 11 26463720