Counterfeit medicines are the fake/fraud medicines which might contain adulterated or wrong ingredients or in low concentration or might not even contain any active ingredient. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines “Substandard / Spurious / Falsely labeled/ Falsified / Counterfeit (SSFFC) medical products” as medical products that are outside of specifications, which includes intentional, reckless or negligent errors, false packaging, and those intended to deliberately deceive and imitate a genuine product (WHO, n.d.).

Fake drugs can be extremely harmful to the health of consumers. The USFDA (US Food & Drug Administration) is continuously working to combat counterfeit drugs.

The counterfeits can enter the pharmaceutical industry due to various levels in the supply chain. Inferior quality raw materials and finished products can enter at any level of the supply chain. The counterfeit medicines can impose health danger to an unforeseeable extent. The most common counterfeit drugs are believed to be extensively used Antibiotics, cancer cure medicines and drugs for erectile dysfunction (as per European Commission).

These drugs can include harmful chemicals like heavy metals, acetone, water or fake & dangerous ingredients. These drugs might compromise on the drug formula or might not even have the active pharmaceutical ingredient.

The increase in medical counterfeits is also because of the online pharmacies. The European Commission has developed a logo for pharmacies/retailers which operate legally online in EU Member states. This logo helps the consumers to check if the online pharmacy website they are visiting is a legally operating pharmacy or not.

A counterfeit drug is an international issue. The volume is much less in the developed nations as compared to the developing nations because of the enhanced legislation, better regulations, and strong institutions. It has been evaluated that 10% of the medicines globally are fake. In 2008, the US government seized fake medicines worth $28.1 million.

The MEDICRIME Convention has been drafted by the Council of Europe constituting the laws on counterfeiting of drugs and medical products or any other crime which involves a threat to public health.

Counterfeit drugs have become a big market because of the increasing demand for cheap drugs and low production costs. Amendments and proper implementation of the laws and regulations are necessary to ensure the proper supply of genuine drugs and prevent fake medicines to reach the patients and consumers.