Fake Medicine: How to identify?

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Medicine and health are a complex of disciplines concerning diagnosis, prevention of different diseases and illnesses, treatment and care about medical and physical well-being of every human or living organism.

Today’s world is developing very fast in all fields, because of technology. Technology is important to have a good, comfortable and easy life.

However, technology has many applications in many fields such as industry, agriculture and medicine. Every day people hear about a new drug or a new way to cure diseases that people thought it is impossible to cure. Medicine is improving and developing because of technology.

Did you know that there are fake medicines? What and how it can affect in our health?

June 15, 2010 – Presidential Proclamation No. 2082 declares every third week of November of every year as the National Consciousness Week Against Counterfeit Medicine.

According to Atty. Vanessa Gana Legasto of FDA’s Legal Services and Support Centre “It’s dangerous in the sense that people cannot expect the quality and purity of these products because it didn’t pass the standards of FDA).”

Counterfeit Medicines

Republic Act 8203 or the special law on counterfeit drugs which was enacted in 1996 states that a counterfeit drug refers to a medicinal product which has a wrong ingredient, without active ingredients, correct ingredients but not in the amount as provided, and sufficient quantity of active ingredients which may lead to reduction of drug safety, efficacy, quality, strength, or purity.

In addition to this, a medicine can also be considered counterfeit if it bears without authorization the trademark, trade name or other identification mark.

In order to ensure that the medicines we will take are not a counterfeit or fake we need to check the following as per to this promotional advocacy:

1. Clear Generic and Brand Name
2. Lot Number and Expiration Date
3. Does Not Crumble Easily
4. Sold in FDA Licensed Drug Stores

Additional Tips from Unilab:

Authentic: Color and engraving should be how it is advertised on TV; Visible and readable batch number; No sign of tampering; and With diamond patter.

Fake: Appears brighter or paler than usual; Hard to read batch number; Packaging chips easily; and With dotted pattern.

Important notice: Be Aware

To all the consumers are instructed to report suspected counterfeit medicines to the Food and Drug Administration Philippines or fill-up the Bantay Gamot Forms which are available in all FDA licensed drugstores nationwide.