The threat of counterfeit medicines in the next year will be more severe than ever, according to a survey of 1,000 companies conducted in October 2010 by Pharma IQ. More than 60 percent of the 1,000 pharma anti-counterfeiting specialists surveyed believed that the threat of counterfeit medicines would increase, and 53.8 percent said they intend to invest more in anticounterfeiting.
Emerging markets in Asia - particularly China - were seen as the major source of counterfeit drugs (50% of respondents); however, 21.4% of respondents indicated that the Internet was also a major threat to the pharma market. Indeed, these views are reflected in an interview about anti-counterfeiting conducted by Pharma IQ with S�bastien Mauel, Head of Product Security at Ares Trading SA, an affiliate of Merck Serono SA.
"The pharmaceutical industry and the legitimate supply chain are highly regulated, therefore as long as you source your medicines from a reputable pharmacy, the risk of getting a counterfeit product is low. This risk becomes much higher in developing countries where the distribution system is less secure, and also when you purchase medicines from uncontrolled sources, such as certain online pharmacies, which provide no guarantee at all about the quality of the medicines they sell," said Mauel.
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