Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Councilor warns public v. fake medicines
CITY Councilor Pilar C. Braga warned the public against counterfeit medicines, citing the concern raised by the World Health Organization (WHO) about this growing malaise.
Counterfeit medicines are part of the broader phenomenon of substandard pharmaceuticals, the WHO reported in February this year.
"The difference is that they are deliberately and fraudulently mislabeled with respect to identity and/or source. These products mostly have no therapeutic benefit; they can cause drug resistance and death," the WHO press release said.
Braga said, "The problem, according to WHO, is most serious in developing countries."
She said medicines being sold at very cheap prices should spark the suspicion of consumers to check on its packaging if there are spelling errors or if the packaging itself is of poor printing quality as these are the most visible signs of a counterfeit medicine.
"We constantly buy cheap medicines not knowing that the drugs are fake and can kill us," Braga said Tuesday.
"The counterfeiting of medicines is present in all countries and is thought to represent 10 percent of the global medicines trade," the WHO reported. "Trade in counterfeits is extremely lucrative, thus making it more attractive to criminal networks."
A report released by the Centre for Medicines in the Public Interest, in the United States, projects counterfeit drug sales to reach US$ 75 billion in 2010, a 92 percent increase from 2005, the report added.
Braga believes syndicates are also behind the production of fake medicine in the Philippines although they're not yet in the city.
"In Manila there are several laboratories making counterfeit drugs, in Davao there's none, but it enters the city already packaged," she said.
Braga urged City Administrator Wendel E. Avisado and City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte to create a task force to investigate the proliferation of fake medicines in the city.
"All government agencies should come together, including the Department of Health, the Philippine National Police, and the City Health," said Braga, adding that the Bureau of Food and Drugs alone cannot stop the proliferation of fake medicines. (BRQ)
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (July 5, 2006 issue)
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