Drugs (Illustration)
Israel ranks tenth in drug counterfeiting
Israel is among 10 biggest drug counterfeiters worldwide; Health Ministry establishes new unit to fight drug forgery
Israel is listed 10th on the list of countries suffering from drug counterfeiting, according to the Permanent Forum on International Pharmaceutical Crime.
This international body reported that 25 incidents of counterfeit drugs were registered in Israel in 2006, probably only the tip of the iceberg, as many cases are never revealed.
Russia and China top the list with 93 and 87 cases a year, respectively.
"Counterfeit drugs are produced without supervision. They could be packed in unknown conditions. Sometimes there are no active ingredients in them or the active ingredients are also fake," explained Mickey Arieli, the new national coordinator for the Israeli Health Ministry in pharmaceutical crime.
He added: "Except for veterinarian drugs, the drugs are usually not fabricated in Israel. They usually arrive from China and India."
Arieli stated that in the best-case scenarios, these drugs would not cause direct damage, but could cause aggravated condition for patients who need drugs to maintain their health. In worse cases, those who use the counterfeit drugs might be exposed to dangerous substances.
These forged drugs are sold in Israel mostly on the internet, through newspaper ads and in market places. In very rare cases they also find their way into a pharmacy.
Many drugs can be and have been counterfeited, including drugs intended to improve sexual performance (viagra, cialis), drugs for blood dilution, psychiatric medication, expensive cancer and HIV/AIDS treatments, botox, pain killers, antibiotics and even tooth pastes and sun screens.
Dan Av contributed to the report
