Lifestyle Mirror

Counterfeit Medicines Endanger Patient Safety

The global pharmaceutical market is expected to be worth an enormous $1700.97 billion by 2025. Unfortunately, with so much money being involved in this industry, unscrupulous parties are flooding the market with fake medicines.

But, what are the dangers of counterfeit medicines? Before you put a pharmaceutical into your body, you’ll want to be sure it won’t do more harm than good. 

This is a concerning thought, and you can keep reading to learn more about the potential dangers and what is being done to combat this threat. 

Dangers of Counterfeit Medicines

It can be tempting to buy cheaper medicines to treat your ailments to save some cash. However, there are worrying reasons why this is not a good idea. 

No Medicinal Value

A counterfeit medicine may have limited or no medicinal value. This can lead to a patient taking the drug for an extended period without realizing their condition is not improving, and could even be getting worse. 

Potential Adverse Effects

As well as not treating an illness, a counterfeit drug could also be too potent or contain impurities. These extra ingredients could cause further harm to a patient and create new issues that were not there before they took the fake medicine. 

What Is Being Done to Stop Counterfeit Drugs Entering the Market?

Stopping fake drugs from entering the supply chain is a challenging task that requires cooperation from many parties. However, there are some measures that can help stop these medicines from falling into the hands of consumers.

Raised Awareness

Most people will know that there are fake drugs on the market, but they may not be aware of how easy it is to purchase them. For example, criminals are taking advantage of the rise in online pharmacies. This has given them the chance to sell illegal drugs to people who think they are buying from a legitimate store.

Awareness campaigns can help consumers understand the risks and give advice on how to identify if you are purchasing your medicines from a trustworthy source. 

Supply Chain Security Measures

There are systems in place to ensure only authentic drugs are sold by reputable pharmacies. Therefore, to avoid buying fake medicine, it’s important to only shop with pharmacies that are on the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites(VIPPS™) list.

This is a program run by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) and the named pharmacies will meet strict requirements to be on the list.

They will also work with drug manufacturers that meet high standards. Many of these companies will get help with this at https://www.medproid.com/public/whymedpro/dscsa. This can give you peace of mind you’ll be buying from a legitimate pharmacy. 

Be Aware of the Risks of Counterfeit Medicines

Although it can be tempting to buy cheaper counterfeit medicines, this is never a good idea. These drugs could actually cause more health problems as well as not treat your current ailment.

While authorities can take steps such as raising awareness and improving supply chain security, it’s important you avoid taking any drugs if you are unsure if they are authentic. 

This can help you buy the medicines that can properly treat your health conditions. 

If you’ve found this post helpful, check out more of our Health & Fitness articles.