Defining 'fake' before it kills

HEALTH

Published: 10/02/2012 at 10:15 AM
Newspaper section: News

Tolomeo Almonacin is suffering from prostate cancer. His fever symptoms did not die down in spite of having medication prescribed by the hospital. The doctor later found out the medicine was fake. The video then cut to a shot of police searching pharmacies as part of a process to stamp out the counterfeit drugs trade in Peru.

Health authorities inspect counterfeit and unauthorised medicines confiscated in Bangkok. The government’s role in IP protection can help quality drugs become more affordable to the public.

The five-minute video produced by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) concludes that more than 25% of medicines sold in developing countries are counterfeit and more than half of medicines available on the internet are fake. The agency emphasised that thousands die every year due to counterfeit medicines. Patients are convinced they are undergoing treatment when in reality they are taking fake drugs.

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About the author

: Writer: Apiradee Treerutkuarkul; Position: Reporter

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sati
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Discussion 14 : 16/02/2012 at 10:09 PM14
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Well Koolbreze, there is money in fake or poor quality generics. My local (Bangkok) pharmacist assures me that some of the Thai produced generic drugs are "fake" by virtue of either not containing the correct dosages of drugs or by being contaminated. She will only take imported drugs from her reliable distributor.
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koolbreez
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Discussion 13 : 10/02/2012 at 07:20 PM13
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It's also interesting that the majority of fake pharmacuticals are of brand name drugs, and not the generics. There is no money to be made by counterfeiting a generic.
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bennu
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Discussion 12 : 10/02/2012 at 05:27 PM12
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I have read that there are as many illnesses caused as cured by medicine, fifty-fifty, and that the diagnosis of an illness is frequently subsequent to the discovery of a new medicine, to fit the label; I am not even talking about a fake one.
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johninbkk
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Discussion 11 : 10/02/2012 at 05:16 PM11
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saltation D7 - Someone who spends 15 years in medschool without salary, and then spends a few hundred million $$ and 10+ more years of research on developing a cure for some disease, and then expects to get rich from the hard work isn't called 'greedy' in my book. If these people aren't allowed to profit, don't expect any more diseases to ever be cured again. You really think doctors 100 years ago weren't wealthy? Where did they get all that free time, high education, and money to pay for all that testing equipment?
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koolbreez
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Discussion 10 : 10/02/2012 at 04:11 PM10
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Fake malarials in Africa, supplied by known organizations have resulted in drug resistant strains. The same has happened in parts of Thailand with the improper self medication, and no prescription needed to get them. There have also been weeker counterfeit drugs from China contributing to this drug resistance let into the country through the pharmacy board.

Every drug coming into Thailand is controlled by a central agency, so any fake showing up in any legitimate pharmacy, or hospital, or clinic is directly tied to the central pharmaceutical distribution agency. Anything to make a hidden profit.
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ex-pet
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Discussion 9 : 10/02/2012 at 03:15 PM9
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my guess is ....different price system.
how on earth can Thailand provide brand name medication on a 30 bath insurance???
THATS the simple reason why our family visits private owned hospital(s) in our home town.
qualified pharmacy sellers are NOT qualified to prescribe "over the counter"
keep that in mind and use the internet in medical health Q&A website's for any question except in emergencies of course is my advise.
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geoffo
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Discussion 8 : 10/02/2012 at 02:30 PM8
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I know of a prescribed medicine here that is BHT600 for 30 genuine brand tablets and BHT30 for 30 generic no name brand tablets, supposedly identical to the original. Which ones do you want.

The core problem here is that cheating is regarded as a sport.

From fake safety related auto parts, fake re-bar to fake medicines, cheaters think they are clever and smart businessmen and women and society does not discriminate against them.

As the circus barker says: Step right up, pay your money and take your chance. I love many things here but not this.
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saltation
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Discussion 7 : 10/02/2012 at 02:04 PM7
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It is disingenuous of the various government organizations to lump generic drugs that are functionally equivalent with their brand name counterparts in with truly counterfeit drugs. When making any type of statements or publishing numbers on these problems everyone, and most especially the WIPO, should be required to differentiate.

Johninbkk (D4) has erroneously suggested that only obscene profits from patents will motivate drug companies to develop cures for diseases. Yet 100 years ago doctors routinely searched for cures without expectations of being able to buy private jets. Compulsory licensing, as Thailand has invoked on occasion, should provide adequate compensation for any company that cares about people rather than simply about its bottom line. Anyone who cares about the poor and underprivileged should be appalled at the "solution" being presented by the government agencies/multinational drug companies.
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bkk-farang
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Discussion 6 : 10/02/2012 at 12:12 PM6
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Maybe the police can start with the confiscation of all the drugs which are sold on the footpath (i.e. on Sukhumvit) by dubious individuals. Maybe they will discover some more illegal business along the streets while they are there.
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khunbill
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Discussion 5 : 10/02/2012 at 11:29 AM5
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Thats just great. Now you cant even trust what drugs you are buying which means you have to buy only in the hospitals and pay a fortune for them as opposed to outside pharmacies.

Another chapter in Amazing Thailand
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