During the COVID-19 pandemic, incidents of substandard and falsified (SF) medical products increased by almost 47% between 2020 and 2021. The trade in counterfeit pharmaceuticals during this period increased mainly with regard to COVID-19 products, including vaccines, drugs, test kits, antibiotics, face masks and disinfectants. This, according to the latest report published by the Association of Authentication Solution Providers (ASPA), an organization that fights against fake medical products.

During the peak of COVID-19, FS medical incidents were seen in 23 of 29 states and seven union territories. The report highlighted that SF products impacted all product sectors and counterfeiting incidents increased by 20% from January 2018 to December 2020. Also globally, pharmaceutical SF incidents increased by 111 % over the past 10 years, according to experts.

“Criminals have seen the COVID-19 pandemic crisis as an opportunity to sell more substandard and falsified medical products, taking advantage of the vulnerability of those in need,” said the ASPA President, Nakul Pasricha.

“The negative impact has gone unnoticed”

The huge negative impact of the huge increase in the circulation of fake medicines and essential medical products in the fight against the pandemic had almost gone unnoticed. “This is unfortunate because criminals manufacture ineffective or harmful products in packages that appear identical to genuine products, making them difficult to detect. The circulation and use of these SF medical products violates the right to health and slowing the pace of providing the quality health care services people deserve. It is time to act decisively to stem this threat. If preventive measures are taken now, we will be in a better position to deliver effective health care to patients,” he said.

ASPA studied the major incident of counterfeiting found during the COVID-19 period and its impact in the country and published a report titled – “Substandard and falsified medical products, lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and the technological tools to ensure drug and patient safety”.

Authentication ecosystem

The report highlighted trends in pharmaceutical crime and incidents related to SF medical products and recommendations to combat it. “We welcome the Indian government’s decision to make QR codes mandatory on Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs); however, we suggest a comprehensive approach to build an authentication ecosystem in the country,” he noted.

National authentication projects have seen an international trend in recent years, with China, Brazil, Turkey, the United States and the EU being the pioneers in this field. This had helped them reduce the parallel market in various industries, improve tax collection and significantly reduce business losses from counterfeit products and illegal trade.

ASPA Secretary, Chander S. Jeena said, “India should also implement these measures in other sectors to join the league of advanced digital economies.” The report was made by monitoring and collating news from major media outlets across the country, World Health Organization (WHO) medical alert, etc., he added.