Tārīkh-i pizishkī i.e., Medical History

Abstract

Background and Aim: The manufacture and sale of counterfeit medicines is a highly organized crime and belongs to white-collar criminals. Poverty, high cost of medicines, lack of formal supply chain, lack of legislation and easy access to computer printing technology, inefficient equipment, law enforcement and light penalties all create strong economic incentives for counterfeiters. The consequences of using such medicines vary from treatment failure to serious side effects and even death. The purpose of this article is to point out the complexity of combating counterfeiting and ineffective medicines, in order to provide a better understanding of the fight against it and to explain more effective strategies.

Materials and Methods: This research is based on analytical-descriptive method and based on valid library documents and sources.

Findings: Lack of defined standards for counterfeiting, lack of deterrent laws and regulations in countries, global complexity of counterfeit goods market, high profitability of production and sale of counterfeit medicines and lack of control and commitment by many actors in this field, the main reasons for counterfeiting and making counterfeit medicines.

Conclusion: Failure to pay attention to counterfeiting measures leads to the growth of fraudulent networks. Effective and specific international deterrent measures, including international cooperation with strict market surveillance, are essential at every stage from the purchase of raw materials to the sale of counterfeit materials to the patient. Legislators as the main guarantor of maintaining the health of communities in the face of crimes in various fields of medicine and treatment, including corruption in the pharmaceutical industry and counterfeiting; By enacting strict laws with effective and robust enforcement guarantees, and bridging the legal gaps in the countries' pharmaceutical systems, they play a prominent and vital role.At the same time, the pharmaceutical industry must be able to detect and eliminate counterfeit networks by creating protective features in its products and complementing counterfeit analysis technologies.

Please cite this article as: Mohammadi Kajidi H, Mahmoudi A, Ghanbari A, Delpasand K. A Review of Medicine Counterfeiting in Medical History. Med Hist J 2020; 12(43): 7-18.