Will it Never End? Counterfeit Drugs and the Mayhem They Cause

Today’s online Wall Street Journal reports yet another case of drug counterfeiting. Okay. Okay. I’m sure everyone knows what counterfeiting is. But it’s typically associated with money, or with a signature. In fact, over intersession, I was walking through an art museum and I noticed an exhibit in which the artist had “counterfeited” a US stamp, with the caption asking which was real. I couldn’t tell, but for the difference in fading which betrayed the older, real stamp. The point is, counterfeiters are good at what they do.

And although counterfeiting is certainly not a good thing, at least counterfeiting money doesn’t really hurt anyone, at least not physically. While I certainly do not condone the practice of printing fraudulent dollar bills, I can understand why people do it and I recognize that it does little more than swindle society out of its hard-earned money. But does anyone remember the melamine scare in China a couple years ago (if you don’t, see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/4315627/Two-sentenced-to-death-over-China-melamine-milk-scandal.html)? Now, that was different. People died because of that. And not just any people died – those counterfeiters killed defenseless, unknowing babies just to make their “product” look more like the milk from healthier cows. And that’s no oversimplification. Who drinks milk, predominantly? Children in need of building bones. Who’s the main consumer, then? Children. Who died? Children. Were they capable of avoiding their fate? No, at least not knowingly. Counterfeiting foodstuffs is fundamentally different than printing bills – one kills people, the other only robs them of their money.

Today’s story is no different than the melamine in China. Apparently, the Danes caught counterfeit drugs (injectable cancer drugs made by AstraZeneca) and reported it to the FDA. Another counterfeiter stopped. The Journal puts the number of apprehended drug counterfeiters at 2003 for the year 2009. That is simply astronomical. And these aren’t just placebos or fake Viagra that doesn’t sufficiently induce erection. Now counterfeiters have started to pass false injectable drugs, drugs that cash-strapped medical facilities might be lured into purchasing for things like cancer treatment. These aren’t generics, either. Generics are just cheaper versions of drugs that were previously protected under patent laws. Counterfeiters are worse, because although generics might not be as pure as the real McCoy, companies that make them have an incentive to keep those who take their medicine healthy so that they keep their customers. Counterfeiters operate underground, and have no concern for their victims.

This must stop. The Journal mentions several new laws, under consideration all across the globe, that fight the scourge. But we need to move quickly.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204059804577225640701811020.html