Counterfeit Drug Discoveries More Than Doubled in Five Years, Pharmaceutical Security Experts Warn

May 23, 2012 4:28 PM Topics: Counterfeit drugs

Incidents of counterfeit drug discoveries documented by pharmaceutical security experts more than doubled from 2005, when over 1,000 incidents were recorded, to 2010 when over 2,000 incidents were recorded. Experts Tim Mackey, MAS, Brian Liang, MD, JD, PhD, and Thomas Kubic included this data in a report published in Foreign Affairs that provides an overview of the global counterfeit drug problem that impacts both developing countries with weaker regulatory structures, and developed countries with strong regulations, such as the United States and European countries. Looking at data on counterfeit drug busts around the globe, the authors report that “all corners of the globe saw more discoveries of counterfeit medicine” with a 246% increase in Asia, a 131% increase in Europe, a 105% increase in the Near East, and a 77% increase in North America. The authors also suggest a strategy for tackling the fake drug problem on a global level by drawing on the resources and expertise of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Interpol. The article, “Dangerous Doses,” was published in the May 14, 2012, issue of Foreign Affairs.