A counterfeit drug or a counterfeit medicine is a medication which is produced and sold with the intent to deceptively represent its origin, authenticity or effectiveness. The common street term for counterfeit drug is "beat bag." A counterfeit drug may be one which does not contain active ingredients, contains an insufficient quantity of active ingredients, or contains entirely incorrect active ingredients (which may or may not be harmful), and which is typically sold with inaccurate, incorrect, or fake packaging. Fake medicines and generic drugs which are deliberately mislabeled in order to deceive consumers are therefore counterfeit, while a drug which has not received regulatory approval is not necessarily so. Oral medication A medication is a licenced drug taken to cure or reduce symptoms of an illness or medical condition. ... An active ingredient, also active pharmaceutical ingredient (or API), is the substance in drug that is pharmaceutically active. ... A generic drug (pl. ... Consumers are individuals or households that consume goods and services generated within the economy. ...

Overview

An individual who applies a counterfeit medication may experience a number of dangerous consequence to their health, such as unexpected side effects, allergic reactions, or a worsening of their medical condition. A number of counterfeits do not contain any active ingredients, and instead contain inert substances, which do not provide the patient any treatment benefits. Counterfeit medications may also contain incorrect ingredients, improper dosages of the correct ingredients, or they may contain hazardous ingredients. An adverse drug reaction (abbreviated ADR) is a term to describe the unwanted, negative consequences sometimes associated with the use of medications. ... An allergy can refer to several kinds of immune reactions including Type I hypersensitivity in which a persons body is hypersensitised and develops IgE type antibodies to typical proteins. ... In English, to be inert is to be in a state of doing little or nothing. ... Pediatric polysomnography patient Childrens Hospital (Saint Louis), 2006 A patient or invalid is any person who receives medical attention, care, or treatment. ...

The extent of the problem of counterfeit drugs is unknown. Counterfeiting is difficult to detect, investigate, and quantify. So, it is hard to know or even estimate the true extent of the problem. What is known is that they occur worldwide and are more prevalent in developing countries. It is estimated that upwards of 10% of drugs worldwide are counterfeit, and in some countries more than 50% of the drug supply is made up of counterfeit drugs. Furthermore, the World Health Organization estimates that the annual earnings of counterfeit drugs are over 32 Billion U.S. Dollars. A counterfeit is an imitation that is made with the intent to deceptively represent its content or origins. ... The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations, acting as a coordinating authority on international public health, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. ...

There are several technologies that may prove helpful in combating this problem, such as radio frequency identification, which uses electronic devices to track and identify items, such as pharmaceutical products, by assigning individual serial numbers to the containers holding each product. The FDA is working towards an Electronic pedigree (ePedigree) system to track drugs from factory to pharmacy. This technology may prevent the diversion or counterfeiting of drugs by allowing wholesalers and pharmacists to determine the identity and dosage of individual products. More recent innovative technology includes the use of mobile phone cameras to verify the source and authenticity of drugs within a world wide market through use of unique identifying unbreakable codes. video clip of mobile phone verification of authenticity of drugs An EPC RFID tag used for Wal-Mart Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders. ... A serial number is a unique number that is one of a series assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor by a fixed discrete integer value. ... The United States Food and Drug Administration is the government agency responsible for regulating food, dietary supplements, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, biologics and blood products in the United States. ... An electronic pedigree (E-Pedigree) consists of a computer file or collection of data which provides a verifiable chain of custody for a physical object. ...

On May 6, 2005, the Chinese press agency Xinhua reported that the World Health Organization had established Rapid Alert System (RAS), the world's first web-based system for tracking the activities of drug cheats, in light of the increasing severity of the problem of counterfeit drugs. May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Front gate of the main building of Xinhua News Agency in Beijing The Xinhua News Agency (Simplified Chinese: 新华社; Traditional Chinese: 新華社; pinyin: ), or NCNA (New China News Agency), is the official press agency of the government of the Peoples Republic of China and the biggest center for collecting information and... The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations, acting as a coordinating authority on international public health, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. ... WWWs historical logo designed by Robert Cailliau The World Wide Web (WWW or simply the Web) is a system of interlinked, hypertext documents that runs over the Internet. ...

Bacterial Resistance

Fake antibiotics with a low concentration of the active ingredients can do damage world wide. Courses of antibiotics that are not seen through to completion allow bacteria to regroup and develop resistance. Staphylococcus aureus - Antibiotics test plate. ... Antibiotic resistance is the ability of a microorganism to withstand the effects of an antibiotic. ...

Television

A cable TV report featured a lady in Nigeria, Dr Dora, who was appointed to deal with fake drugs. According to these reports, many of the fake drugs came from the same countries that make normal drugs, especially China and India. In the case of India, while it is against the law to make fake drugs for domestic use, it is not against the law to make fake drugs for export.

See also

• Regulation of therapeutic goods
• NAFDAC - Nigerian organization opposing rampant drug counterfeiting.
• Gentamicin — example of a drug with drastic health consequences if not appropriately prescribed, or unknowlingly prescribed in counterfeit form.
• Robert Courtney — American pharmacist who dispensed diluted cancer drugs between 1991 and 2001.
• Counterfeit
• Call centre#fraud

The regulation of therapeutic goods, that is drugs and therapeutic devices, varies by jurisdiction. ... <-- wikilinks in and out !! --> The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is a Nigerian agency that is charged with the responsibility of regulating and controlling the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertisement, distribution, sale and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals and locally produced prepackaged water. ... Gentamicin (also gentamycin) is an aminoglycoside antibiotic, and can treat many different types of bacterial infections, particularly Gram-negative infection. ... Robert Ray Courtney (born 1952 in Hays, Kansas) was a pharmacist who owned and operated Research Medical Tower Pharmacy in Kansas City, Missouri. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... A very large collections call center in Lakeland, FL. A call centre or call center (see spelling differences) is a centralized office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. ...

References

• New Scientist - September 9, 2006

New Scientist is a weekly international science magazine covering recent developments in science and technology for a general English-speaking audience. ... September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• MSNBC Dateline feature, June 2006
• Counterfeit Drugs - Questions and Answers - by FDA
• Drug Regulation: Counterfeits Experience of Countries
• Xinhua article
• Article on Dr. Dora's crackdown on counterfeit drugs - by Independent Online Edition
• Counterfeit Drug Resource Page from the Turkewitz Law Firm
• World Health Organization Fact Sheet on Counterfeit Drugs
• Excellent Documentary Online "Fake Drugs" (pay)
• Anti-Counterfeiting technology for drugs DrugId.com

• New Scientist