New technologies to combat counterfeit drugs

Preeti Jain, Information Scientist, ACSI India highlights that the global counterfeit drug trade poses a serious public health threat. Emerging technologies and collaborative regulatory efforts are key to combating this evolving and lucrative illicit industry

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The illicit trade of counterfeit drugs is a lucrative, widespread business, and it has a severe impact on developing countries. According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, up to 30 per cent of medicines in Asia, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa are counterfeit or substandard.

However, this problem doesn't just affect lowand middle-income countries. With the rise of online pharmacies, estimated at nearly 40,000, counterfeit drugs are more common in developed countries as well.

The risks from counterfeit pharmaceuticals are numerous — there are the obvious risks of medications failing to treat a given condition, and severe reactions or even death from a dangerous substance, improper dosage, or a drug interaction. Counterfeit drugs also undermine the public's trust in healthcare systems, which leads to major health issues (see Figure 1). At a time when misinformation is rampant, it's vital to provide patients with safe and effective treatments, and that includes combating counterfeit medication and harmful medical products.

Fortunately, researchers are making progress in the development of technologies to stop counterfeiting. Many tactics are being explored to verify that medications are legitimate, from the packaging that protects drugs to the surface and structure of the pills themselves. Some can be observed with the naked eye, and others use advanced technologies to scan and validate drugs or packaging. All could provide important breakthroughs in combating fake drugs.

Which drugs are most often counterfeit?