The global threat of counterfeit drugs: Why industry and governments must communicate the dangers
| Autor: | E. Kyeremateng Agyarko, Nicholas J. White, Robert Cockburn, Paul N. Newton, Dora Akunyili |
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| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
Drug Industry 030231 tropical medicine lcsh:Medicine Legislation Global Health Security Measures 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Patient Education as Topic Secrecy medicine Global health Humans 030212 general & internal medicine Excise Pharmaceutical industry Information Services Policy Forum Economic Competition Medicine in Developing Countries business.industry Public health Health Policy Fraud lcsh:R Conflict of interest General Medicine Public relations Legislation Drug International health 3. Good health Epidemiology/Public Health Government Public Health business Counterfeit Drugs Confidentiality |
| Zdroj: | PLoS Medicine, Vol 2, Iss 4, p e100 (2005) PLoS Medicine |
| Popis: | The production of substandard and fake drugs is a vast and underreported problem, particularly affecting poorer countries. It is an important cause of unnecessary morbidity, mortality, and loss of public confidence in medicines and health structures. The prevalence of counterfeit drugs appears to be rising (see “The Scale of the Problem”) and has not been opposed by close cooperation between drug companies, governments, or international organizations concerned with trade, health, customs and excise, and counterfeiting. In this article we suggest that many pharmaceutical companies and governments are reluctant to publicize the problem to health staff and the public, apparently motivated by the belief that the publicity will harm the sales of brand-name products in a fiercely competitive business. Publicly, at least, several industry sources say the justification for secrecy is to avoid any alarm that could prevent patients taking their genuine medicines. We argue that this secrecy, and the subsequent lack of public health warnings, is harming patients and that it is also not in the long-term interests of the legitimate pharmaceutical industry. We urge a change to mandatory reporting to governmental authorities, which should also have a legal duty to investigate, issue appropriate public warnings, and share information across borders. This is not a role for the pharmaceutical industry, which has a serious conflict of interest. While some drug companies have given public warnings to protect patients, others have been criticized for withholding information and, in a recent development in the United States, taken to court for failing to act. The industry is addressing the problem. In 2003, US pharmaceutical companies made an agreement with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that they would report suspected counterfeit drugs to the FDA within five days of discovery (see “Companies That Have Warned”), although this remains a voluntary arrangement. In many poorer countries, where the problem is at its worst, there are no similar governmental and industry initiatives. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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