A recipe with impressive seals is not at all a guarantee that a remedy will save you from unpleasant symptoms. Sometimes a counterfeit bought in a pharmacy can lead to tragic consequences. Unfortunately, low-quality drugs on the shelves of pharmacies, and often just drugs-counterfeits are found more often. How can a simple buyer protect himself from them? And is it possible to distinguish a quality drug from a counterfeit by yourself?
In April 2009, the Moscow court passed a verdict against the top managers of Bryntsalov-A, who was accused of producing counterfeit medicines. In the list of falsifications, there were such well-known medicines as mezim, no-spa, baralgin, nootropil. The sale of counterfeit medicines was carried out through front companies. In the course of this case, operatives seized about 200 tons of drugs produced illegally.
And two months earlier, another, equally noisy case related to medicines was being discussed in the media. 23 people were injured due to the fact that in ampoules instead of one substance was another - toxic. Two victims were not saved.
IN THE RISK AREA
Alas, nowadays one can not be sure of absolute insure against counterfeit medicines. In general, the most popular drugs are being faked. It can be both expensive preparations of foreign companies, and affordable medicines of domestic manufacturers. But most often the attention of fraudsters is attracted by medications of the middle price category. Cheap medicines are simply not profitable to forge. And very expensive, as a rule, have many degrees of protection.
In the "risk group" - antibiotics, multivitamins, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal drugs. Counterfeit drugs may be against allergies, and insulin, and Viagra. Most often on the counter of pharmacies there are counterfeit medicines of Russian origin. Usually they are made from poor quality raw materials, which is purchased in India and China.
A HOT MIXTURE OR IMMEDIATE DOORS?
Low-quality medicines can be of three types: imitation, modified medicine and placebo. The latter are ordinary dummy medications. Such preparations do not contain an active substance and, as a rule, are 100% composed of a filler. It can be talcum, chalk, sucrose or lactose, food colorings. Some underground "pharmacists" use dry clay, flour, soda and even dental or detergent powder.
Falsifications, imitating the original drug, contain an active substance, which differs from the claimed. Typically, scammers use a cheaper analog. This increases the risk of negative consequences from its administration.
As for the altered medicine, it contains exactly the same active substance as the original preparation, but in a smaller, and sometimes even larger, dose.
WHAT TO DO WITH DRUGS?
If you feel a deterioration in your health after taking the medication, immediately call for an ambulance. Before the arrival of physicians, try to drink as much simple boiled water as possible. You can try to induce vomiting.
In low-quality medicines, experts also find toxic substances, there have been cases in which fake poison was found in counterfeit tablets to check blood pressure, and boric acid and lead were found in the preparation for headache.
No less dangerous are the spoiled medicines that were transported or stored in the wrong conditions. And also drugs with expired shelf life, which are also not uncommon on the shelves of pharmacies. Often scammers buy out unsuitable medications for a pittance, put them in new packages, which indicate normal shelf life. Sometimes manufacturers simply re-paste old labels on packages with new ones.
The consequences of taking counterfeit or substandard drugs can be very different. If the drug lacks an active substance, the patient simply does not receive the therapeutic effect that is stated in the annotation to the drug, and this can lead to the most disastrous consequences. It's terrible to imagine that a person has become sick with a heart, and instead of a saving medicine, he takes a fake "dummy" ...
How to distinguish a counterfeit?
Experts argue that counterfeits are becoming more "quality", and therefore distinguish them from the original drug is difficult even for a specialist. However, you can protect yourself from buying a counterfeit medicine. It is enough to follow a few simple rules:
1. Read the instructions carefully. It should contain a detailed description of the drug. For example, "hard gelatin capsules of white color, the contents of the capsule - a dry powder of beige color." It also indicates the possibility of sediment, describes in detail the packaging, the full address and phone number of the manufacturer and other useful information. In the event that the medicine is in appearance different from the description in the instructions, it may be a fake.
2. Sometimes an inaccurate package may become a sign of a counterfeit medicine. If you take the medicine of the same manufacturer constantly, save the box and instructions. They are useful for comparison. Pay attention to the font size, the method of applying the expiration date, the number of the drug series. A badly sealed blister, illegible or blurry inscriptions on the box, shibki in the instructions, illegible expiration date - these are all grounds for suspicion.
3. Ask at the pharmacy a certificate of compliance that confirms the quality of the drug you are about to purchase.
4. Try to take medications only after consulting a doctor. If you drink tablets or medicine prescribed by a doctor, but do not feel any effect, or if your health worsens, tell your doctor immediately.
There is a possibility that the drug is fake and the active substance in it is simply not available. Why take such pills?
HOW TO PROTECT FROM FINISH?
Operative information about the rejected or substandard drugs on the drugstore shelves appears in Roszdravnadzor almost immediately after the detection. Therefore, before buying a medicine, it makes sense to check whether it is on the "black" lists.
Always try to buy medicines in large stationary pharmacies. In mobile drugstores and kiosks on the streets or in underground passages, the risk of buying a counterfeit, substandard or delayed medicine increases several fold. Categorically you can not buy medications through the Internet. It is convenient to search the web for detailed information about the medicine and the addresses of real pharmacies where you can study the packaging carefully and see all the necessary documents.
Another reason to be on the alert is the excessively low price of the drug. Therefore, do not be lazy to call several large state and private pharmacies. If the medicine is much cheaper than the average for the city, it can be fake or almost expired.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU HAVE BUYED FAKE DRUG?
1. Keep the medicine package and the receipt.
2. Refer to the pharmacy manual. Most often, pharmacy employees refer to the fact that drugs and medical equipment can not be returned. But this is true only for quality drugs.
3. In any pharmacy, telephones of the health department and monitoring organizations should be prominently displayed. If you bought a suspicious drug, you need to contact Roszdravnadzor. However, if you have doubts about the drug on which the "biologically active additive" is written, then your path lies in Rospotrebnadzor. Formally, dietary supplements are not medicines.
4. If the bought medicine causes serious suspicions in you, you can contact the center for quality control of medicinal products and conduct an examination. If the medicine turns out to be fake and will be officially recognized as dangerous to health, you can go to court.
When will it end?
Many experts are sure: pharmacies and wholesale companies know that they buy falsified drugs. The problem is that Russian legislation has not yet been regulated and does not provide for severe punishment for counterfeiting medicines. Attract fraud to account is very difficult. Often a company that falls for the sale of substandard or counterfeit medicines is fined up to 50 thousand rubles. Of course, work is underway now on a draft law providing for criminal liability for the manufacture of counterfeit and substandard medicines. But everything is complicated by the fact that hundreds of intermediary firms are involved in buying and distributing medicines in Russia, which is very difficult to follow. Compare: in Germany there are about ten such companies, in France - only four. And the saddest thing is that, according to experts, due to the crisis, the number of falsified medicines may grow. So, be vigilant and careful!