Brand names have become a way of life with the elite, and especially college and school children vie each other to get the latest in designer wear and designer equipment, be it a cap from a leading manufacturer, or a MP3 player. Just the logo is enough to make the budding fashion aficionados strut with pride and triumph.
Parents are not better, what with the mother trying to get the latest in Prada, Louis Vuitton, and the father looking for Calloway golf clubs and Bally shoes, what sod of examples are the children living by?
It goes without saying that not everyone has the ways or the means to buy the actual name brands, and the pressure to "Keep up with the Jones" is phenomenal. "Perhaps most troubling is the widespread threat counterfeiting poses to public health and safety Few people truly appreciate the significance, scope or consequences for this crime."
Simply put, anything counterfeit can be termed" Jali" in Urdu. Product counterfeiting is "Big Business" and losses to businesses from the counterfeiting of trademarked consumer products is phenomenal. Often the consumer thinks of pirate computer software, fake Rolex watches, replica Oakley sunglasses and the like as the primary counterfeit goods being offered to the consumer. This is not the case.
Common counterfeit goods include auto parts, aircraft parts, baby formula, apparel, purses, jewellery, shampoo, cosmetics, cigarettes, sunglasses, software, medical devices, and the most frightening of all consumer drugs and medicines, food products and so much more.
Web sites engaging in criminal counterfeit sales activities are numerous and generally can be immediately recognised by the posting of the fictitious "Internet Privacy Act".
Just think..., it can be unnerving boarding a commercial airliner, knowing that the odds are good that the aircraft has at least a few counterfeit parts in it. Airliners and helicopters have crashed due to such substandard components. Counterfeit auto parts - notably brake pads - have also caused accidents.
Where individual consumer products are concerned, one hears of counterfeit shampoo that has caused hair loss. Counterfeit toys and baby foods have caused serious problems for children, while counterfeit clothing is generally quite shoddy and "replica" kids clothing usually is not flame retardant and can present a fire hazard.
Likewise, counterfeit sunglasses are generally not shatterproof and often have no ultraviolet protection. Of greatest concern is counterfeit medicine, being ineffective and hazardous to life.
The counterfeiting of currency and consumer products are common problems that plague governments and manufacturers around the world, but the counterfeiting of medications is a particularly insidious practice. Drug counterfeiters not only defraud consumers, they also deny ill patients the therapies that can alleviate suffering and save lives. In some countries the counterfeiting of drugs is endemic - with some patients having a better chance of getting a fake medicine than a real one.
Because the capabilities of counterfeiters continue to evolve rapidly, there is no single "magic bullet" technology that provides any long-term assurance of drug security. However, a combination of rapidly improving "track and trace" technologies and product authentication technologies should provide a much greater level of security for drug products in the years ahead.
Modern electronic technology is rapidly approaching the state at which it can reliably and affordably provide much greater assurances that a drug was manufactured safely and distributed under conditions that did not compromise its potency.
However these technologies are also available to counterfeiters, and it is only a matter of time before these are adopted by them. Authentication technologies also include measures such as colour shifting inks, holograms, fingerprints, or chemical markers embedded in a drug or its label. The use of one or more of these measures on drugs, starting with those considered most likely to be counterfeited, is an important part of an effective anti-counterfeiting strategy. Because counterfeiters will adapt rapidly to any particular measure and because the most effective measures differ by product, the most effective use of authentication technology will vary by drug product over time.
The problem of counterfeit pharmaceutical products in Pakistan has grown to such an extent that it has been reported in the British Medical Journal. Additionally there has been a surge of smuggled drugs in the market that do not bear the Pakistan Registration Number. Due to the conditions under which these drugs are transported, they have a potential for safety and health risks.
As appropriate taxes and dues are not paid, these drugs are sold at lower prices in the market, giving the false impression that similar drugs in Pakistan are more expensive. Another point that has to be taken into consideration is that one has to be aware of the fact that these smuggled drugs have the highest of probabilities to be counterfeit themselves. Without the guarantee of the company as to the authenticity of the drug, one puts ones life into jeopardy by taking suspect drugs manufactured abroad and smuggled into the country.
Because the Ministry of Health licenses and regulates wholesale drug distributors, they have an important role in controlling the drug distribution supply chain.
The MOH must work with Industry Associations to develop and implement laws that will make it difficult for illegitimate wholesalers to become licensed and transact business, thus making it easier to deter and detect channels for counterfeit drugs. Customs personnel at International airports and ports also need to be informed to be vigilant on drugs being smuggled into the country, and be educated on how to identify these drugs. Some countries have already reduced counterfeit threats by adopting such measures.
Although increased criminal penalties would not affect the MOH regulatory framework for overseeing the Pakistani drug supply, they would provide an added deterrent to criminals who work to counterfeit our citizens medications. The MOH should request the Government to amend the sentencing guidelines to increase substantially the criminal penalties for manufacturing and distributing counterfeit drugs and to provide for enhanced penalties based on the level of risk to the public health involved in the offence. However one must realise that without proper and adequate enforcement, even best laws and strict penalties fall short of their objectives.
Effective protection against counterfeit drugs would include actions by drug manufacturers, distributors, and chemists to secure their business practices such as ensuring the legitimacy of business partners, refusing to do business with persons of unknown or dubious background, taking steps to ensure physical security, and identifying an individual or team in the organisation with primary responsibility for ensuring that effective security practices are implemented.
If counterfeit drugs are entering the Pakistani market place, procedures should be in place to recognise the hazard and alert the public quickly and effectively.
The industry and the MOH can develop educational materials, including new tools on the Ministry's website, to see that there are regular and updated public service announcements. New educational partnerships with consumer and health professional organisations should be formed to help consumers avoid counterfeits.
It can also enhance its educational programs for pharmacists and other health professionals about their role in minimising exposure to, identifying, and reporting counterfeits.
Counterfeit drugs are a global challenge to all nations, and criminal counterfeiting operations are increasingly operating across national borders. Having the MOH work with the World Health Organisation, Interpol, and other international public health and law enforcement organisations to develop and implement world-wide strategies to combat counterfeit drugs would be a good start in the right direction.-(ABC)
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