Counterfeit drugs – a threat to the community, requiring strict sanctions

Danger to public health

According to information from the authorities, this ring organized the production of 21 types of fake drugs, mainly modern medicines for treating bone and joint diseases and improving health, made from cheap ingredients such as bamboo charcoal, tapioca starch, adhesives, flavorings and industrial dyes.

Counterfeit products are packaged sophisticatedly, imitating the brands of many famous pharmaceutical companies, then distributed through social networks, e-commerce platforms and retail outlets with a transaction scale of up to more than 200 billion VND.

Notably, the subjects in the ring have no expertise in medicine or pharmacy, and do not have a license to produce or trade pharmaceuticals, but still brazenly organize an "underground" production line right in residential areas, regardless of consumer safety and the law.

The problem of counterfeit drugs is not new, but its increasing sophistication and scale make control difficult. The consequences of counterfeit drugs on human health are immeasurable.

First of all, it is a direct risk to the user's life. With ingredients of unknown origin, counterfeit drugs not only do not have a therapeutic effect but can also cause acute poisoning, allergies, liver failure, kidney failure, nerve damage and even death. For people with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, etc., using counterfeit drugs can lead to serious complications, delay the treatment process, and even make the disease worse.

Not only that, counterfeit drugs – especially counterfeit or poor quality antibiotics – are a direct cause of drug resistance, reducing the effectiveness of treatment regimens. This is a global challenge that the World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly warned about.

The consequences do not stop at personal health but also seriously affect the national health system, erode people's trust in medicine and doctors, and increase the burden of treatment costs for families and society.

From a socio-economic perspective, counterfeit drugs are a factor that disrupts the pharmaceutical market, damages the reputation of legitimate manufacturing enterprises and confuses consumers. Each counterfeit pill floating on the market is a cut into trust, a link that pushes the pharmaceutical market into a spiral of unhealthy competition. In addition, the production and consumption of counterfeit drugs is often associated with tax evasion, money laundering, illegal labor and other organized criminal activities.

Need to study, supplement and perfect the legal system

Legally, the act of producing and trading counterfeit drugs is one of the particularly serious crimes stipulated in Article 194 of the 2015 Penal Code (amended and supplemented in 2017).

Accordingly, anyone who manufactures or trades in counterfeit medicines or disease prevention drugs may be sentenced to imprisonment from 2 to 20 years, life imprisonment or death penalty – depending on the severity, consequences and aggravating circumstances. Commercial legal entities that violate the law may be fined up to 20 billion VND, have their operations permanently suspended or be banned from operating in certain fields.

In the case in Thanh Hoa, the signs of crime were very clear: organized, professional, repeat offense, causing particularly serious damage to society and human health. With such acts, it is necessary to apply the highest penalty to deter and prevent similar acts from recurring.

Strict handling is not only fair to consumers but also a strong message from the law against criminals "hidden" in the medical field - a field closely related to human life.

However, to combat the problem of counterfeit drugs, we cannot rely solely on post-violation detection and handling. We need a strict prevention system from input to output. First of all, we must tighten management of drug production and trading licenses, and at the same time perfect the national pharmaceutical database, helping people easily trace the origin of products. Market management agencies and health inspectors need to closely coordinate with the police, customs, and border guards in detecting and destroying cross-border counterfeit drug production and trading chains.

Another important factor is raising public awareness. People need to be equipped with basic knowledge to recognize counterfeit drugs, know how to check product information, labels, expiry dates, and should buy drugs at licensed establishments. At the same time, it is necessary to promote the role of the press in promptly reporting incidents, exposing sophisticated fraud tricks, creating public pressure and contributing to the "cleaning up" of the pharmaceutical market.

At the macro level, the State needs to study, supplement and perfect the legal system on pharmaceuticals and regulations on penalties for the production and trading of counterfeit drugs in the direction of increasing the level of penalties, especially for cases of repeated offenses, organized offenses or those causing serious consequences. In addition, it is necessary to issue a mechanism to protect whistleblowers and encourage businesses and consumers to participate in monitoring and detecting violations.

Health is the most precious asset of each person and of the whole nation. Protecting the safety of drug use is not only the responsibility of the health sector and the authorities, but also the responsibility of the whole society. Each individual and each family should become a "shield" against the problem of counterfeit drugs, working together to build a healthy, transparent and humane medical environment. Because in this war, indifference is an accomplice, and alertness is life.

Lieutenant General, Associate Professor, Dr. Dong Dai Loc

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/thuoc-gia-hiem-hoa-cho-cong-dong-doi-hoi-che-tai-nghiem-khac-post546215.html