The 2020 National Consciousness Week Against Counterfeit Medicine (NCWACM) with the theme, “Sa Gitna ng Pandemya, Magtulungan Laban sa Pekeng Medisina” is celebrated every third week of November. This year’s celebration aims to increase awareness about counterfeit medicines that still thrive especially in this time of COVID-19 pandemic, and to relay the continuous efforts of stakeholders concerned in combating these counterfeit medicines.

As the pandemic continues to spread globally, it caused the surge of not only the fake face masks and other medical products related to the pandemic, but also the counterfeit medicines, especially for those over-the-counter (OTC) drugs or sold without prescription and those drugs that are requested at this time of health crisis.

Republic Act No. 8203 or the Special Law on Counterfeit Drugs cover those that are counterfeit or fake medicine manufactured with harmful ingredients, those containing the correct ingredients but wrong amount of dose, or those with no active ingredients. They can also be mislabeled and apply for both generic drugs and branded drugs.

In addition, counterfeit drugs are not registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and did not go through validation and quality standard of the procedure given by the FDA to meet their efficacy, safety, and quality of the drug. Offering for sale or selling of these fake drugs is a violation of Republic Act No. 8203 and the FDA Act of 2009.

The reported products that are frequently affected by counterfeiting are paracetamol, mefenamic acid, ibuprofen, and other cold and cough remedies. In the Philippines, some of the reported counterfeit drugs are famously seen in huge advertisements and the indication or use of these drugs are usually for common sickness like pain, fever, cough, and colds. Some health authorities argue on the use of these over-the-counter medicines in this time of pandemic to cope with COVID-19 symptoms.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it has been estimated that 1 out of 10 medicines in low to middle-income countries are fake.

The dangers of taking fake medicines can lead to serious health problems that cause disease progression, drug resistance, increased morbidity, mass poisoning, and even death. Due to falsified and substandard drugs that contain harmful toxin and other active components that substitute the required ingredients and may also result to allergic reactions and confusing adverse effects.

There are many ways to identify an authentic drug from a fake, but it may be difficult to identify it if you don’t have the proper equipment. The inspection of the physical appearance is one of the easiest ways to detect if the product is fake. Follow these simple tips to avoid purchasing counterfeit medicine:

• Use caution when purchasing online for medicines and do not buy from online sellers without a license to operate;
• Check out for misspellings on the product information leaflet (if any);
• Pay attention to drug appearance and poor print quality on the package;
• Unusual color of the tablet if it is lighter or darker;
• Different tastes of the tablet or syrup; and
• Report suspicious medications.

It is important that you buy your medicines from your trusted, FDA-registered drugstores to avoid purchasing counterfeit medications. Do not buy from unofficial sellers for you may not be aware that they are distributing fake products. Avoid also buying from unauthorized online resellers, especially in this time of the pandemic because many people have shifted their lives online for a lower pricing, which also saves time, thus the tendency to be lured to buying fake products.

As consumers, we must carefully purchase our medicines. Buy only from your trusted drugstores to secure that the medicines are safe, good quality, and effective. In this time of pandemic, we need to make sure that we are safe and well. Say no to fake drugs! (PHA John Paul D. Navarro, RPh)

References:

Food and Drug Administration. Republic Act No. 8203. Retrieved from: https://ww2.fda.gov.ph/attachments/article/29038/8203%20An%20Act%20Prohibiting%20Counterfeit%20Drugs.pdf

Bandiola, T. (2020). Fake medicines on the rise: how to identify them. Retrieved from: https://opinion.inquirer.net/132464/fake-medicines-on-the-rise-how-to-identify-them

Food and Drug Administration. Pharmaceutical Advisories. Retrieved from: https://ww2.fda.gov.ph/index.php/advisories-2/pharmaceutical-2/381228-fda-advisory-no-2016-141

Unilab. How do you know if your medicine is fake? Retrieved from: https://www.unilab.com.ph/articles/how-do-you-know-if-your-medicine-is-fake