Pharmaceutical & medical How to stop the rise of fake COVID-19 medicines
effective vaccines and medication are our way out of the coVid-19 pandemic - but unscrupulous criminals are undermining trust by using the opportunity to sell counterfeit drugs. Here, mike seed - irms sales and product manager for elementar Uk - explores the importance of using the right tool to stem this dangerous tide.
T
he COVID-19 pandemic has posed one of the biggest challenges ever encountered by the pharmaceutical industry. With an unprecedented public health crisis facing the entire global community, the responsibility has fallen to drugmakers to develop effective solutions in record-quick time, all while dealing with significant disruptions to working practices and supply chain management brought about by national lockdowns.
This is a challenge that the industry has risen to magnificently, developing safe and effective vaccines in a matter of months to provide the world with a clear pathway out of the current pandemic. However, in some areas, this vital work is being undermined by a surge in activity among drug counterfeiters, who are exploiting the situation to make money on the sale of fake COVID-19 treatments. This poses a real danger at a time when it is more important than ever for people across the world to have complete faith in the medical products they are being given. As such, every organisation involved in the pharmaceutical supply chain needs to make sure they are using the very best tools and technology to tackle this problem head on.
A pAndemic boost for fAke medicines The sale of counterfeit medicines has long been a serious problem for communities around the world, affecting poorer countries most severely. A 2017 report from the World Health Organization indicated that around one in every 10 medical products circulating in low and middle-income countries is either substandard or falsified, underlining the seriousness of the issue.
Unfortunately, the pandemic has
created a perfect storm of conditions to allow this problem to proliferate. Widespread health concerns among the world’s population, combined with the rapid spread of misinformation, has created a huge spike in demand for therapies and vaccines, at the same time as routine testing and quality checking processes have been extensively disrupted. This has led many consumers to seek out illegitimate medical products through unlicensed online pharmacies, or even through the dark web. The BBC recently reported on a “sharp increase” in vaccine-related darknet adverts, with doses of the AstraZeneca, Sputnik, Sinopharm and Johnson & Johnson vaccines being sold online for hundreds of pounds. Analysis from software firm Check Point indicated that sales of fake vaccines against COVID-19 grew by 400 per cent between December 2020 and January 2021 alone. Meanwhile, Pfizer has since confirmed that counterfeit versions of its coronavirus vaccine have been seized by authorities in Mexico and Poland, with the latter samples being found to be a mislabelled anti-wrinkle treatment. Around 80 people at a Mexican clinic were administered with a fake vaccine, which caused no damage but also provided no COVID-19 protection. Perhaps most worryingly, counterfeit medicine sales are spiking in India, where a second wave of COVID-19 is currently running rampant. According to the European Union Intellectual Property Office, the nation is one of the world’s most prolific producer of fake medicines. The current crisis is leading to a rise in illicit sales of falsified vaccines, as
Selling false hope 26 June 2021 Instrumentation Monthly
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