Developed and Developing Countries Not Safe from Counterfeit Medicines

We understand what you are thinking. It might seem impossible or in a sense hard for scammers to deliver counterfeit medicines in already developed country where security is tight and people more aware of the effects of purchasing counterfeit drugs. Well, it is in fact an advantage to live in developed countries but it doesn’t make it safer. When you think about it, if under developed countries like Africa are using the traditional ways to cure their disease and illness, does it mean that they have less risk of getting involved in scams and fraudulent acts of counterfeit drugs manufacture?

The burden of fake and substandard drugs is not evenly distributed across the globe. Even where reporting systems are weak and the media is not free, most reported instances of substandard medicines occur in poorer countries, where poor regulation allows criminals to easily infiltrate weak supply chains. Although rich nations face fewer breakdowns in their regulation and supply systems, they are certainly not safe from this threat. There are a lot of reviews showing a plethora of examples of the manufacture, sale, and distribution of fake and substandard drug examples from all over the world.

North America

Most of the counterfeit and substandard drugs found in the United States are probably purchased online, but fakes have managed to infiltrate the legitimate supply chain as well. While locally produced counterfeits have been discovered, drug seizures indicate that the majority of fakes are either imported from countries like China and India or smuggled across the Mexican and Canadian borders. The most common way that counterfeit and substandard drugs infiltrate the US market is probably through the Internet, usually from international sources. The Peterson Group is only one of the many websites who fight off counterfeit drugs in the country and partners with World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).

Europe

There are few fake and substandard drugs in most European countries for reasons similar to those articulated above for the United Sates: quality producers dominate the market, supply chains are generally well regulated, and officials provide strong oversight and strict enforcement when pharmaceutical standards are violated. Still, preventing fakes from entering or travelling through the two dozen European territories is a constant challenge for enforcement officials. The data estimating

the prevalence of counterfeits in Europe, which is summarized and then presented in detail below, is based on comprehensive regional studies, individual country studies, enforcement records, and reported incidents.

Asia

Asia is widely considered to be the fake drug factory of the world. India and China, which both having thriving legitimate domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing industries, are also the source of most substandard active pharmaceutical ingredients and counterfeit drugs found around the world. Insufficient regulation, porous borders, and lack of enforcement mechanisms in neighboring countries such as Pakistan, Iran, and the Mekong River Valley countries (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam) have enabled Asia’s myriad, unregulated small producers to market fake and substandard drugs to Asia, Europe, Africa and even the Western Hemisphere. Even archipelagic states have ample amounts of illegal counterfeit drugs in their stead despite transportation issues. In Indonesia, complaints have been filed that counterfeit drugs from Sumatra and Borneo can be transported undetected to the country’s capital, Jakarta.