RAT Boy

Pfizer made a TV advert to highlight the dangers of using counterfeit drugs which drew a number of complaints in the UK because of its graphic nature. It's worth a look.

FAKE drugs alert

The World Health Organisation recently launched an internet-based Rapid Alert System for tracking drug cheats. One frightening survey result showed that in 2001 a third of anti-malarial drugs in the Mekong countries were counterfeit. A similar survey in 2004 showed the situation had gotten worse with nearly half the samples tested proving to be fake. The difference between wealthy and developing countries is huge when it comes to stemming the flow of fakes.
The most recent figures from Irish customs show 800 kilos of fake drugs were seized in the last two years, ranging from Viagra to steroids.

FAKE drugs

There is a serious safety factor to Pfizer's investigation against the Mills family who are accused of selling counterfeit drugs over the internet (see yesterday's post). In February at the Toronto Police Fraud Squad conference, Lorne Lipkus, a lawyer specialising in counterfeiting, spoke about several deaths caused by counterfeit drugs. With Viagra and Cialis the danger is caused by too much of the active ingredient which can cause heart attacks. There have also been a number of documented cases in which fatalities were caused by counterfeit drugs such as in the 1990s in which 119 children died in India and Haiti after being treated with toxic cough syrup. In Niger 2,500 people died after 50,000 meningitis vaccine doses were supplied to the country.
Last year Ireland's EU Commissioner, Charlie McCreevy, said the EU saw "massive diversification" in the number of counterfeit products. In 2007 the EU reported a 50 per cent increase in the number of counterfeit items that threaten human health, such as fake cigarettes, Viagra and food being removed from sale. Four million packges of fake drugs were also seized at the borders of the EU. The World Health Organisation expects the global market in counterfeit drugs to be worth €70 billion next year. Make sure you know where that magic pill came from.

BITTER pill

High Court cases in both Ireland and the UK last week provided an insight into the global scale of the counterfeit drugs trade. Drugs giant Pfizer got a court order after claiming British national Andrew Mills, also known as Butcher, was behind an internet-based operation selling allegedly Chinese-made drugs. As a result a raid was carried out on his house in County Monaghan, Ireland, to seize various materials. Pfizer claim Mills and his parents were selling drugs over the internet for the last three years with a minimum estimated annual turnover of stg£465,000. The High Court in London is expected to hear a case against the three members of the Mills family.

BAD medicine

Most people think of designer t-shirts when talking about counterfeit products. It is a huge industry, but it isn't just limited to clothes and jewellery. The most dangerous area is in the sale of fake and counterfeit drugs, usually sold over the internet. Viagra and Cialis are money-spinners for the the fraudsters. The World Health Organisation estimates the trade is worth $75 billion a year
Some samples have been detected with no active ingredients, others with dangerously high-levels and then some contaminated with bacteria. In Ireland fake tooth paste has been found as well as fake brand-name condoms. The tested counterfeit condoms didn't offer any protection against Aids, so the potential effects can be lethal. There were 40,000 boxes of fake condoms sold in 2005.
Another popular target for counterfeiters are the heavily marketed and branded cuddly toys for kids. Many of these won't even come near safety standards, posing choking hazards for kids and using untested filling.