Vitamins, ED drugs lead fake products in Phl - FDA

MANILA, Philippines - Counterfeit vitamins and medicines for erectile dysfunction are the leading fake products being sold in the Philippines today, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) said yesterday.

“It sells… The demand is there, demand and supply. What they (counterfeiters) look up is the most lucrative, the blockbusters or the top sellers,” FDA director Dr. Susette Lazo said in an interview on the sidelines of a forum organized by the Philippine Information Agency.

The other counterfeit products commonly being sold in the country are antibiotics and drugs to treat hypertension and diabetes.

Lazo had urged the public to be vigilant against fake medicines in line with this week’s celebration of the National Consciousness Week against Counterfeit Medicines.

Defining counterfeit drugs

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines counterfeit medicine as “one which is deliberately and fraudulently mislabeled with respect to identity or source.”

“Counterfeiting can apply to both branded and generic products and counterfeit products may include products with the correct ingredients or with the wrong ingredients, without active ingredients, with insufficient (inadequate quantities of) active ingredient(s) or with fake packaging,” the WHO website stated.

In the Philippines, counterfeit medicines also pertain to those products that are not registered with FDA.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona warned Filipinos overseas against their practice of bringing home huge volume of medicines because this may constitute counterfeiting.

Ona explained that even if the products are legal or registered in the country of origin, they are considered counterfeit if not registered in the Philippines.

Lucrative trade

According to Lazo, the pharmaceutical industry is attractive to counterfeiters because it has a high return on investments.  “It is a lucrative business… Even globally, counterfeiting is increasing,” she said.

Citing a study of the National Economic and Development Authority, Lazo claimed that the country’s pharmaceutical industry is now around P318 billion.

She added that some fake medicines are poor replicas of the genuine products but there are others that really look like the original ones.

Lazo said there are tell-tale signs of counterfeiting that consumers should always look out for.

“One is the price. It is cheaper than the genuine products. There are also some distinguishing differences on the packaging. Some times the letter or colors are different,” she said.

Lazo said a counterfeit drug can either have no effect or aggravate the patient’s condition. She added that to avoid becoming victims of counterfeiters, the public should buy only from legal outlets and demand official receipts.