Pirated drugs account for 10% of Argentine pharmaceutical market

Release Date: 2009-08-28

Illegal drugs billed $ 1.300 million per year against $ 13,000 million of the authorized. Internet grows as a sales channel

The sale of illegal drugs and move $ 1,300 million per year in Argentina. This represents 10% of $ 13.000 million annually-sector turnover from the sale of five million units, marking an advance of phony products. This work suggests the Argentine College of Pharmacists and Biochemists.

The market for "illegitimate" is broad, and includes both counterfeit drugs as adulterated (in which components are added or removed, or change the expiration date), contraband (drugs not approved in Argentina) without registration (approval of ANMAT) and stolen.

It is a constantly changing business. "Until recent years, more common was the counterfeiting of medicines of low cost, high traffic, usually counter and Bayaspirina, Buscopan and Sertal. But it is increasingly the adulteration of oncology and anti-retroviral drugs whose dose can cost between $ 2,000 and $ 5,000, "said Maria Jose Sanchez, Program Coordinator illegitimate Medicines Research of the National Drug, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT), the agency responsible for approving the remedies that are sold.

"Unfortunately, the adulteration is difficult to detect because this process is done with a few units, but of much value," said Sanchez.

The operation usually involve hospital staff and patients themselves, who sell the empty ampoules and vials of these drugs, usually from government programs, to be filled. This transaction may touch $ 200 per ampoule.

Authorities and experts argue that control of these situations is not simple. And this is based mainly on the different marketing channels exist.

Official estimates indicate that in the country there are 300 medical laboratories, 400 drug stores and 12,000 pharmacies, which makes inspection and audit. This is must add nearly 60,000 kiosks, 25,000 supermarkets, 4,000 service stations and 3,000 gyms, all selling usual channels of different medications.

But to this he must add another phenomenon. There are over 300 websites that sell drugs without any restrictions.

Thus, the virtual world is consolidated as an alternative to market stolen medicines without authorization and contraband. "Only one drug, RU 486 (the abortion pill known, not authorized in Argentina), are marketed on line about 8,000 units per year, to 200 euros each," Marcelo Peretta complaint, president of the Argentine Union of Pharmacists and Biochemists in Argentina, and race director of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University Maimonides.

Although no concrete figures, including selling drugs in the medicine also appears cyberfarmacias oncology marketed under the name "Green Sap, which even has the approval of ANMAT.

The theft of medicines is another chapter in this saga. In Argentina, a pharmacy steals per day, and 10 stolen, two were empty.

Stock that is subtracted from these businesses, part is reinserted into the commercial market, primarily through kiosks that do not need to buy drugs bill.

Some goes to the illicit use and abuse of substances.

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