Counterfeit Medicines: A Public Health Policy Failure

This article is a superb service to Chowk readers. Thank you Mr. Babar.

I wasn’t aware of such a massive scale of drug counterfeiting in Pakistan. My elderly parents living in Lahore spend a hefty portion of their retirement income on drugs for diabetes, blood pressure, insulin shots, etc. I now wonder, how much of that is counterfeit and how much genuine.

Thnak you mr.Babar for writing article. I honestly feel you are doing great service to bring to our the existing pervasive problem here. I need medicines and has worked in selling medicines in rural areas of Sindh. Having knowledge as patient and seller of medicine not much can be done. Only one should consume MNC companies products and make sure the product is not tempered according instructions. MNCs can lower prices if they have market free of fake producers. The MNCs make money but they deliver the product. Also with recently passed WTO ruling its not easy for any local companies to just copy cat product product claimiming same molecule made with different process. With great competition world majors like Johnson and Johnson, Novartis, Pfizer,Glaxco, Amgen,Bristal Myer are beyond imagination vigilent in fighting locals producing copycats at throwaway prices. They can not be blamed for that. They are making huge investments and are subjected to reducing marginal returns.

I have thought about these problems and there are ways to improve but they are detrimental or contrarary to central foreign policies.

Our neighbour has great Pharm. Industry at p-ar with internationals. The products Ranbuxy, Cipala, Dr. Reddys and others have good product mix and do have RD investments. They produce products at pae excellence and at reasonable prices is not too difficult for them. They produce bulk raw material at extremely low prices. Bulk materials imported at Our MNCs are very inflated ( some times they invoice 10x bulk raw materials price in India). Pakistan MUST welcome MNCs as they are honest and DO NOT TEMPER WITH PRODUCT. For them to reduce prices is force them to use bulk basic raw material at Indian prices. If their basic materialsn prices are reduced 60 to 80% by importing raw materials from India in bulk then MNCs will lower prices also.

Secondly to allow directly import of finished drugs which are much much cheaper. That will automatically put pressure on MNCs to reduce prices and prices will go down. Even MNCs in India charge many times half price Charged by same MNCs in Pakistan. presently I am taking medicine namely Citalopram,Aripiprazole and buspirone made in India, they cost me 1/3 price compared to market prices in Pakistan and about 1/10 price in market prices in USA.

There absurdity in enforcing no to indian drugs as poor people are suffering and dieing due prices. Even doctors are requesting Gop to atleast drug needed in typeII tuberculosis as normal products do not work only indian formulation works. So poor as well rich have to die for illogical heartless decisions.

TEMPERING will continue its impossible to stop only logical way is to force MNCs to lower prices by flooding drugs from India of their reputed firms and local Indian majors in our market. Even you hang temperers will not deter as these criminals are making enormous profits, they can not be stopped. Better way is to provide evenue of MNcs and Majors to have field and provide MNCs basic raw bulk products at cheaper rates to be imported from india. But nothing will happen, its impossible to do any thing. I will like temperproof drugs available that will not happen as I donot believe in miracles. Great 2006.

I don`t think a government that uses F-16s and laser guided missiles to communicate with its citizens gives a flying guck that its citizens are dying with fake drugs. These fake drug makers are business partners of this regime and sit in the rubber stamp assemblies. I don`t think that citizens can do anything to control this menace, since there is no civilian institute left to do that. Citizens are trapped between these enemies of humanity and the hacks like homeopaths and hakeems, who are also giving their customers the ``miracle drugs`` - steroids and cortesons. I think the best option that people have is to chew grass and roll over the ground. Trust me, it will be as effective.

Never mind what the government does(n`t) do. How many of us educated lot read the labels, the expiry dates and insist on getting what`s our due. We accept without a murmur, don`t we?