Fake or counterfeit drug trade has been growing at a faster rate in Bangladesh. We take medicines to save our lives, but in Bangladesh hundreds of thousands of people die every year taking counterfeit and substandard medicine. General people in Bangladesh remain unaware of the danger of fake medicine as there is no official reporting on the part of the media and the government regarding its sale and consumption.
Of late, seven persons from different parts of the city were arrested for selling counterfeit medicines of both local and foreign brands. Reportedly, there are about 1.5 lakh unregistered drug stores running businesses across the country and many of them are producing, storing, and selling counterfeit or adulterated medicines. Needless to say, unauthorised selling of such medicines is jeopardising public health across the country.
if stringent actions are not taken immediately,
the market of fake medicines will grow in
an exponential rate
Shortage of manpower and lack of lab facilities to check purity of drugs are the main reasons for the growing spurious drug industry of the country. Also, the reason of growing fake medicines market lies in the vicious nexus among manufactures, the authority in the system and the original drug distributing channel.
We have been struggling for years to curb sales of fake and substandard medicines and efforts to control this problem have seen no remarkable success. It needs no emphasising that if stringent actions are not taken immediately, the market of fake medicines will grow in an exponential rate and thousands of people will die and suffer unreported.
Taking all into consideration, the government should formulate an integrated strategy and form a high level taskforce to check the alarming growth of fake medicine across the country. Those who neglect people’s life for the sake of money must be held to account. All the stakeholders including the government and drug manufacturers have to work together to control the menace of fake medicine. Last but not least, the government should deploy adequate manpower and provide resources for monitoring the production of all types of drugs.
