News Update
Life science companies give Delhi police an assist in counterfeit crackdown
Earlier this month, the Delhi Police arrested 10 individuals as part of a high-profile raid against a crime syndicate responsible for running an interstate fake medicine distribution scheme. The Anti-Gangster squad, which spearheaded the raid, seized multiple crores worth of fake medicines used to treat a wide range of conditions, including diabetes, asthma and bacterial infections.
Interestingly, the squad received direct assistance from representatives of two life sciences companies -- Johnson & Johnson and Lupin -- whose medicines were allegedly counterfeited.
Sales of counterfeit medicines remain a serious challenge nationwide. A 2014 ASSOCHAM study estimated that 25% of all medicines sold in India were fake, counterfeit or substandard, and a 2022 study by anti-counterfeit organization ASPA found that sales of counterfeit or substandard medical products increased by 47% from 2020 to 2021 alone.
Nigerian government makes progress against substandard drugs
Representatives from the Nigerian government agency responsible for overseeing product imports, NAFDAC, joined pharmaceutical industry stakeholders in Lagos last month to announce several actions aimed at curbing the sale of unsafe drugs. In addition to cracking down on retailers and wholesalers, NAFDAC Director General Prof Mojisola Adeyeye further stated the agency would be working with industry partners to help bolster the integrity of the pharmaceutical supply chain, including by upholding more stringent standards for the procurement of raw materials.
NAFDAC has further recently partnered with other governmental agencies to help relocate drug distributors in Kano from open air markets into new, federally mandated ‘Coordinated Wholesale Centres’. The actions come a result of a judicial ruling in the Kano Federal High Court last month upholding the government’s authority to enforce supplier relocation measures. The agency is expected to continue to support relocation efforts in Nigeria’s other major cities in the coming months. In a statement, NAFDAC stated it believe these efforts would help reduce the “prevalence of substandard medicines.”
Meanwhile, Adewale Oladigbolu, the head of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), called on the government to integrate the nation’s 21 pharmaceutical schools into ongoing efforts. In its statement, the Association argued that empowering students to study and analyze sample would make it easier for them to flag irregularities and discrepancies to be reviewed by authorities responsible for oversight of medicines.
Rise in fake weight loss drugs raises concerns for regulators
Growing global demand for new weight loss drugs like Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic has led to a rise in falsified and substandard knockoffs entering the market. According to the Partnership for Safe Medicines, patients in 16 countries have experienced adverse effects from taking fake versions of the drug.
In recent months, both WHO and US officials have issued statements expressing their concerns over the risks these illicit drugs pose for patients. These declarations follow a warning issued to patients and providers by the European Medicines Agency in October 2023 about the dangers of falsified Ozempic pens.
To help combat counterfeiting, Ozempic’s CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen told Reuters the company was working directly with regulatory authorities in several countries.
Greater cross-sectoral engagement needed to advance SF efforts
In a recent piece highlighting the success of recent Europol efforts to combat counterfeit medicines, Business Matters magazine touts the imperative for other sectors – including private sector organizations – to increase their engagement in this space.
“The [Europol led anti-counterfeiting] operation should inspire an expansion of its strong collaborative model, bolstered by innovative technologies from leading private sector actors…and government regulatory solutions to tackle this public health plague.”
The authors also praise the efforts of several private sector companies already working to develop anti-counterfeiting innovations, including SICPA and Systech.
Websites We Follow:
Medicine Quality Monitoring Globe Index
Interactive map of substandard medicine events worldwide.
PSI Incident Trends
Aggregating counterfeiting crime data
GPHF Minilab Overview
Global mapping of anti-counterfeiting tool usage
Feeds We Follow:
@tkmackey
Tim Mackey
Professor and Researcher at UC San Diego
Director, Global Health Policy and Data Institute
Expert on leveraging tech to combat counterfeiting
@MgVantrieste
Martin VanTrieste
Medication Safety Advocate
Author, Protecting Patients At All Costs: The Drug Watch Dogs
@BuySafeRx
ASOP Global (Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies)
Orgnization working to shield consumers from the dangers of online pharmacies
@DineshThakur
Public Health Activist
Author, The Truth Pill: The Myth of Drug Regulation in India
Advocating for drug regulation reform