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A counterfeit drug syndicate is operating across the country. How do we catch and dismantle this network?Fake medicines have existed for ages, but in today's era of advanced technology and artificial intelligence, if they go undetected and are even procured by the government hospitals, the indication is clear that there is a nexus! If the merchants of death selling fake drugs have successfully infiltrated government hospitals, it is an extremely serious situation.I commend Maharashtra's medical education minister Hasan Mushrif for not hiding this harsh reality and openly admitting it in the state Assembly. In reply to a written question by MLA Mohan Mate, he acknowledged that fake medicines were purchased in some government hospitals. Naturally, this raises a pressing question in everyone's mind as to how it is possible for government hospitals to buy fake or spurious drugs? These hospitals operate within a government-regulated system designed to ensure that the medicines procured are genuine. Detecting counterfeit drugs should not be difficult, especially when the entire world knows that the market for such medicines is expanding rapidly, necessitating heightened vigilance.According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the global counterfeit drug market is worth around $200 billion (over Rs 17 lakh crore at current exchange rates). Estimating the scale of this illegal trade in India is difficult because there is no clear data on where these fake medicines are being manufactured and sold. However, the cases that have surfaced are alarming and point toward a frightening reality. A study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has already warned that India has become a major hub for counterfeit medicines. Last year, Delhi police crime branch had busted a massive fake drug syndicate operating in the Delhi-NCR region. A warehouse full of counterfeit medicines was discovered in Ghaziabad and investigations revealed that these fake drugs were manufactured in a factory in Sonipat. Shockingly, not just Indian brands but counterfeit versions of over 20 brands of seven major companies from the US, the UK, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were being manufactured there. The most unfortunate part was that the mastermind behind this entire syndicate was a doctor!Last year, when cases of counterfeit medicines surfaced in Telangana, the Drugs Control Administration conducted an in-depth investigation. It was discovered that these fake medicines were being manufactured in Uttarakhand. In Uttar Pradesh, counterfeit medicines worth Rs 80 crore were seized last year. Similarly, a large consignment of fake medicines was confiscated in West Bengal. In all these cases, the packaging was so meticulously done that it was nearly impossible to distinguish the fake medicines from the real ones. However, upon investigation, it was found that the capsules contained nothing but chalk powder and starch. It is believed that 60 per cent of counterfeit medicines do not have any adverse effects, but 40 per cent of them can severely impact a patient’s health. However, even the so-called ‘harmless’ fake medicines are just as dangerous. The patients consuming such counterfeit drugs will never recover because they are not receiving the actual medicine they need. What happens when their illness advances to a critical stage? Counterfeit versions of essential medicines for treating severe diseases have also been found. It has been revealed that counterfeit drug manufacturers used to buy empty vials of genuine cancer treatment injections for Rs 5,000, fill them with an antifungal drug worth just Rs 100 and then sell them for Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. These merchants of death even sold fake Remdesivir injections during the Covid-19 pandemic.Despite all these developments being in public knowledge, the fact that fake medicines have been purchased in some hospitals in Maharashtra cannot simply be dismissed as a mere oversight or negligence by the officials and staff responsible for it. This is a matter of life and death. A thorough investigation must be conducted and those responsible should be charged with conspiracy to commit murder and punished accordingly. Currently, the law provides for life imprisonment if a person dies due to fake medicines, but proving such cases is extremely difficult. Moreover, the punishment for manufacturing counterfeit drugs is only five years of imprisonment. Until stricter punishments are enforced, these crimes will not stop. A zero tolerance policy is needed for such offences. The chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is a highly sensitive leader and he has already started tightening the grip on the administration. That is why I am hopeful that he will conduct a thorough investigation into this matter. He is also expected to take up the matter with the Central government and bring all states on board against these merchants of death. At the same time, we must also ask why essential medicines are often unavailable in hospitals and medical colleges? A cancer patient once came to me and said that a doctor at AIIMS had prescribed him an injection worth Rs 1.25 lakh and he needed several doses of the same. Can an ordinary family afford such an expensive treatment? Healthcare is an extremely serious issue and the government must seriously think about changing this situation.For now, stay vigilant. Make sure you are not consuming fake medicines! Pharmaceutical companies have started using barcodes on packaging. Always scan the barcode. It might help you avoid counterfeit drugs. But honestly, is it just about fake medicines? Fake rice, fake lentils, fake khoya, fake paneer, fake ghee... everything is fake, fake and fake! It is for the government to ponder what innocent people can do!The author is the chairman, Editorial Board of Lokmat Media and former member of Rajya Sabha.

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