Over 10% of all medicine of all medicine in the world market are false products. They exit almost in all regions, while the major blow is made on the developing countries. According to estimations by foreign experts, 25% of medicine, consumed in the developing countries, is false. In some countries the figure is expected to reach 50%.
The consumer is ready to pay less money for false products grounding it with low incomes. Such attitude has a negative impact on the health and positively affects on further development of illegal business. Unfortunately, even big medicine producers frankly speak about false or poor-quality medicine: it essentially decreases realization of legal produce.
According to forecasts of the Medicine Center in the US public interests, in 2010 false medicine to be sold worldwide will amount to $75bn, which will exceed 2005 figure by 90%.
The Center of Innovations and Supply of the Azerbaijani Health Ministry regularly conducts raids in the pharmaceutics enterprise of the country. So far, revision has been held in over 330 drug-stores, which revealed some violations in connection with absence of licenses, preservation of medicine in unfit conditions. The activities of 12 drug-stores have been ceased and 44 drugstores received warnings.
A new laboratory will be created at the CIS with respect to detect poorquality and false medicine, while control over import medicine has been toughened in the territory of Azerbaijan. However, they appear in big volumes at the controlled markets as the falsification of medicine becomes more sophisticated.
Factors promoting trading of false medicine are too many. Production of false medicine does not require big infrastructure and enterprises. The majority of enterprises manufacturing false medicine carry out their activities at ordinary houses, small enterprises or secret yards. Production of false medicine is very profitable business due to uninterrupted high demand for medicine and low cost of production.
In case of high prices of medicine and existence of difference in prices on identical medicine the buyer is keen on finding a medicine over the system of ordinary supply system. Low incomes and absence of the official deliver chain are major factors in the creation of false medicine market.
It is so rare in the west to see specialist on medicine to be involved in pharmo-business. However, in Azerbaijan this sphere is alluring not only young and inexperienced, but also well-experienced doctors.
Frequently the expensive medicine, which is allocated for fatal diseases, those with anti-virus effects is falsified.
The Azerbaijani Health Ministry has toughened a control over import of medicine to the country. All products pass examination at the expertise division of the central laboratory.
The Ministry revealed medicine of 33 types unfit for use. It imposed a ban on import on these medicine. Over past time 2 types of medicine unfit for use has been revealed (Multitop Etm5004, Carmestan 10mq OE-17) and their import to Azerbaijan was halted.
Different methods are being drafted broad on the base of technologies for the resolution of the problem. German Fund Pharma established a mini laboratory for the implementation of simple analysis for identifying the originality of the medicine.
At present some countries commit the companies to confirm the originality of their products through creating "genealogy", which notifies about the origin of the medicine and further use. The US Department for control over quality of food products and medicine recommended the pharmaceutical companies to transit to use of radio-frequency identification technologies (RIT) for better examination of medicine. Some pharmaceutical companies practice the application of the RIT and optically changing devices, or at least use code or other technologies, including the web-portals, which helps to trace and identify the medicine.
Some companies use holograms, inks, changing the color, water marks, which confirms originality of the packages and tablets. Part of the companies prefers use of inks and paints, while others use packing films to prevent falsification.
Hologram stamping on goods enacted in law in Azerbaijan in 2004. A medicine entering the market pass initial special examination at the laboratory and if the Health ministry grants special holograms, if the products meets the necessary requirements.
However, it still turned out weak in the struggle with the counter-fact. Obligatory marking also leads to rise in prices of the medical products.
The World Health Organization (WHO) supports the countries in many the spheres, including the consolidation of the pharmaceutical legislation. The WHO also conducts work with the countries on providing a quality guarantee during the entire chain of delivery of the medicine.
Guidelines were designed for countries for estimation and registration of product, distribution of output, implementation major test and rendering of laboratory services.
Regional bureau of the WHO established the first worldwide system on the base of Internet for tracing the swindlers activities in the sphere of falsification of medicine. The communications network of the fast warning system delivers information on spread of false medicine to the relevant bodies to allow them to take urgent reply measures. In the near future the WHO plans to expand the system to other regions, probably including Azerbaijan.