Counterfeit drugs are rampant, how to identify them?

fake medicine - Photo 1.

Thanh Hoa Province authorities have just dismantled a large-scale counterfeit drug production and sales ring - Photo: Thanh Hoa Police

Right after the authorities busted a fake milk production line, another fake medicine production line was also caught. Thousands of pills that people hoped would cure their illnesses turned out to be dangerous and a threat to their health. Fake drugs are rampant, making patients worried.

Counterfeit drugs containing corticoid ingredients are very dangerous for people when used in large quantities, posing a risk of harm to the patient's health.

The presence of counterfeit drugs creates a vicious cycle: treatment failure - complications - higher treatment costs - burden on the health system - and increased risk of death.

Dr. Nguyen Huy Hoang

Sophisticated tricks targeting the elderly

Thanh Hoa Provincial Police have just dismantled a large-scale counterfeit medicine production and trading ring, arresting 14 suspects for the crime of "producing and trading counterfeit disease prevention and treatment drugs".

According to information from the authorities, the group produced fake drugs, worked and hid drugs at 6 locations in 6 provinces and cities: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh Phuc, Hung Yen, An Giang, Dong Thap, the quantity was thousands of types of modern medicine.

Authorities have seized 21 types of modern medicine, fake bone and joint medicine, and thousands of boxes of "health protection" medicine and imported medicine with other disease prevention uses.

Regarding the method of selling fake drugs to the market, under the guise of being pharmacists selling drugs for pharmaceutical companies, this group of people, through social networks Zalo and Facebook, advertise that they have genuine antibiotic sources from the company, "smuggled" from bidding sources, or sold out quickly without being able to issue invoices, so they sell them cheaper than genuine products.

With "counterfeit" drugs of foreign origin, the defendants introduced them as "hand-carried" goods, so there were no invoices or documents attached to gain the trust of buyers. To gain trust, the defendants bought real drugs and mixed them with fake drugs to sell on the market. When customers believed them, the group only sold fake drugs they produced themselves.

With the fake medicine for bone and joint diseases, the group created the name of the medicine and the name of the drug manufacturing company based in... a foreign country. From there, they created trust and confusion for consumers who were willing to spend money to buy the medicine.

At the same time, this hotline targets the elderly who need to buy and use medicines that treat bone and joint diseases, pain, and numbness at low prices, suitable for the income of the elderly.

In addition, the defendants also took advantage of loopholes in state management of pharmaceutical business activities at drugstores and pharmacies.

Operating from 2021 until now, when arrested, this group had sold a large quantity of fake drugs to the market, with an estimated illegal profit of nearly 200 billion VND.

Counterfeit drugs are often sold at unusually low prices to attract buyers, and sellers often give various reasons to justify the low prices. Therefore, if the price is too low compared to the market, people need to be careful. At the same time, avoid believing in "miracle drug" advertisements, or drugs of unknown origin that are sold online and by word of mouth.

Mr. Ta Manh Hung

Many patients have used fake drugs.

These fake drugs have been put on the market, thousands of products, illegally earning nearly 200 billion VND. That means thousands of patients have spent "real money" to buy and use fake, poor quality products.

Using counterfeit drugs not only has economic impacts but also poses potential health risks.

Doctor Nguyen Huy Hoang, Vietnam - Russia Hyperbaric Oxygen Center, Ministry of National Defense, said that the global problem and the current situation in Vietnam of prescription drugs - the type of pharmaceuticals that require strict instructions from a doctor - are being counterfeited with increasing sophistication.

"This is not only a commercial fraud, but also a direct threat to human life, puts pressure on the healthcare system, suffocates the legitimate pharmaceutical industry and erodes trust in the healthcare ecosystem," said Dr. Hoang.

Dr. Hoang pointed out that the direct consequence of using fake drugs is treatment failure - this is the most common consequence. With serious diseases such as infections, cardiovascular disease, cancer, missing the golden time because of fake drugs means losing the chance to live.

In addition, counterfeit drugs can lead to poisoning and allergies. Many counterfeit drugs contain dangerous impurities that can damage the liver, kidneys, and cardiovascular system or cause anaphylactic reactions, which can be fatal.

Counterfeit drugs can also lead to indirect consequences such as antibiotic resistance, when fake antibiotics do not completely kill bacteria, promoting resistance. This is a global health crisis.

Avoid counterfeit drugs: never buy prescription drugs online

Mr. Ta Manh Hung said that currently fake drugs are distributed through two main channels: retail and online.

According to the new regulations from July 1, non-prescription drugs are sold on e-commerce platforms, prescription drugs are not sold online. Therefore, people should note first not to buy prescription drugs via social networks or e-commerce platforms. Second, do not buy and sell drugs through individuals.

In addition, when buying medicine at pharmacies and drugstores, people should only buy medicine at licensed, reputable places with clear addresses. Do not buy from unclear sources such as markets, street vendors or through livestreams...

Strict control but fake drugs still exist

Counterfeit drugs are rampant, how to identify them? - Photo 2.

Evidence of fake medicine was just seized by the police - Photo: Thanh Hoa Provincial Police

Mr. Ta Manh Hung, Deputy Director of the Department of Drug Administration, Ministry of Health, said that medicine is a special type of goods, directly affecting the health and life of patients, so it requires very strict management.

Activities of production, business, trade and use of drugs must comply with the principles and standards of good practice stipulated in the Law on Pharmacy and related legal documents.

So how to prevent fake drugs from entering the market? Mr. Ta Manh Hung said that the units have agreed to continue to step up the fight against fake drugs, drugs of unknown origin and strictly handle violations according to the law in the coming time.

Although the fight against counterfeit drugs "has been and is still being carried out", in reality, thousands of fake drugs are still put on the market every year. For example, the case in Thanh Hoa operated for 4 years, illegally profited 200 billion VND before being caught, leaving unpredictable consequences for society.

According to Dr. Hoang, the existence of counterfeit drugs is partly due to the strict penalties that are not enough of a deterrent. Counterfeit drug rings still persist, especially in cyberspace. This shows that the major barrier lies not in the legal framework but in enforcement capacity, detection ability and inter-sectoral coordination.

"More solutions are needed, such as tightening prescription control; reviewing regulations on online drug sales; making licensing and price management processes transparent; strictly handling and publicizing major cases...

In particular, pharmacists and doctors are the first line of defense against counterfeit drugs. Those who directly sell drugs to patients need to proactively advise, report suspicions, and provide guidance to patients.

Moving forward, we can apply technology such as applying traceability encryption, blockchain, QR code; developing a national database of circulating drugs," Dr. Hoang suggested.

5 serious health effects of counterfeit drugs

No cure

Counterfeit drugs often contain no active ingredients or only very low amounts, resulting in no or negligible therapeutic effect.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 1 million people die each year from use of counterfeit and substandard drugs.

Causes dangerous side effects

Some counterfeit drugs may contain toxic impurities, be produced in unsanitary conditions, and are susceptible to fungal and bacterial contamination. Consequences can include poisoning, severe allergies, liver failure, kidney failure, digestive disorders, infections... and even death.

Increases drug resistance

Counterfeit antibiotics are especially dangerous. When the active ingredient is not in the right dose or type, bacteria can "learn" to resist the drug, making future treatment more difficult.

Psychological and financial damage

Patients who use counterfeit drugs will lose faith in medicines, doctors and the health system. At the same time, they also have to spend more money to treat complications caused by counterfeit drugs, not to mention buying drugs that are ineffective.

High risk of death

In many cases, counterfeit drugs not only delay treatment but also poison the body. Some statistics from the WHO show that between 72,000 and 169,000 children die each year due to counterfeit antibiotics.