Pharmaceuticals
Rapid identification of counterfeit pharmaceuticals is critical to ensure patient safety.
The Pharmaceutical Counterfeiting Problem
Counterfeit pharmaceuticals represent a violation of intellectual property rights and a serious public health risk. The World Heath Organization (WHO) estimates that roughly 10 percent of the world’s pharmaceuticals may be counterfeit or substandard, with some regions of the developing world with far higher rates. Even in Europe and the United States, counterfeit drugs are increasingly entering the supply chain, particularly via internet sales. These drugs at best will not deliver the therapy they promise and at worst can endanger patient’s lives. Thousands of people, many of them young children, have lost their lives because they failed to receive needed treatment when they unknowingly took counterfeit drugs.
Efforts to combat counterfeit pharmaceuticals to date have largely focused on making the product packaging difficult to copy. However, in many places, drugs are not sold in their original packaging, and counterfeiters have become very adept at imitating even the most sophisticated packaging. One of the most promising approaches to removing counterfeit drugs from the market is authenticating the dosage form of the medication itself to confirm its chemical composition.
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