More than a million fake aspirin sachets in which the active principle of the drug had simply been replaced by glucose: this is the last record seizure by Customs in terms of counterfeit drugs. This stock from China, discovered in the port of Le Havre, was intended to supply the French, Spanish and African markets. This seizure does not surprise the pharmaceutical companies which sound the alarm bell on the progression of counterfeiting.
One in 10 drugs is fake
According to the WHO, counterfeit medicines have long since left the cottage industry to become a big business. Now, one in 10 drugs sold worldwide is counterfeit. These falsified drugs can be so-called “comfort” drugs for erectile dysfunction or for weight loss, but among the most common counterfeits there are also antibiotics or drugs to treat cardiovascular diseases.
So far, no counterfeit medicine has been discovered in a French pharmacy. These “fake drugs” are intended to be sold on the Internet, on illegal sites where they are not subject to controls by health authorities. Still according to the WHO, one in two drugs sold on “dubious” websites is a counterfeit drug. Most of the time, these medicines contain a tiny amount of the active substance, which prevents them from being effective.
