Israel’s bid to solve India’s “billion-dollar” healthcare problem

Israel’s healthcare industry has been one of the top contributors to its export-driven economy. According to the annual industry report published by Israeli Advanced Technological Industries at the MIXiii-BIOMED-2018 conference in Tel Aviv, pharmaceutical and medical technology exports accounted for almost forty percent of the total high-tech exports from Israel. The report further says that on an average, as many as 131 companies were formed each year for the last decade (2008-17). However, the same report also mentions that nearly 65 companies ceased to operate each year during the same period due to various reasons. According to another report from the Israeli Export Institute, Israel’s life sciences and healthcare export declined by twelve percent in the first half of 2016. Clearly, the industry needs to find more long-term and viable export destinations to ensure that cutting-edge healthcare innovations are streamlined to the market.

A growing market with unmet medical needs:

Looking eastwards, India seems to be perfectly poised to provide a largely unexplored market. With a 1.28 billion strong population, rise in the frequency of lifestyle diseases and increasing spending capacity of the middle-class, more Israeli healthcare innovators should look towards India to solve the next “billion-dollar problem”. India is known to be an extremely price-sensitive market and only a third of the Indian population have some kind of medical insurance. These factors have made India an arduous market for cutting-edge technologies to penetrate. However, the Indian government recently rolled out an ambitious healthcare plan – The Ayushman Bharat (meaning “Long live India”), with an ambition to expand the base of insured families in India. The plan stipulates to provide medical insurance cover of up to $7,000 per year to eligible families. Thus the government will provide insurance companies the premium to cover the medical expenses of over 100 million families who would otherwise not be able to pay for their hospital expenses. This scheme is regarded to be the largest healthcare scheme of the world and would surely provide a financial cushion for Israeli and other global healthcare companies to help solve the pressing healthcare issues of millions of patients.

Technology adoption can aid in narrow the gap:

India’s healthcare sector is an $81.3 billion dollar industry and is growing at a rate of 17 percent, which is unprecedented in the country’s history. This spectacular growth is fuelled by multiple factors including the rise in population, increase in purchasing power, a thriving middle class, the rise of non-communicable lifestyle diseases and rapid adoption of modern healthcare technologies. According to ICICI Lombard, a top health insurance company, top fatal diseases in India include lifestyle diseases (cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetes, diarrhea), infectious diseases (malaria, tuberculosis, dengue), cancer and mental health (leading to suicide). Combined, these disease areas can contribute up to 65 percent deaths. India is also home of the second highest number of diabetic patients in the world after China. In addition, the Indian healthcare system is also plagued by an insufficient number of healthcare professionals, low penetration of medical insurance and operational inefficiencies. However, the ground is ripe for adoption of cutting-edge technologies in healthcare. The explosive growth in the penetration of mobile phone and internet in recent years have led to many home-grown healthcare startups to gather significant traction. In fact, from 2014 to 2017 the early stage digital health companies in India have attracted over $600 million in funding across roughly 200 deals. Service companies such as online pharmacies (Pharmeasy, Netmeds), digital health (Practo, Livehealth) and wellness (CureFit) dominated the funding landscape. However, there is an apparent gap for product companies that can provide solution pertaining to disease pre-screening, diagnosis, therapeutics, telemedicine, monitoring patient behavior, etc. Together these diseases represent actionable avenues for Israeli companies to approach the Indian healthcare market.

The road, however, is not all smooth:

There are, however, certain entry barriers that might hold back foreign companies to aggressively approach India.

Firstly, as mentioned previously, India is known to be a price-sensitive market. Despite being the fastest growing major economy, India has the lowest GDP per capita among the BRICS countries – less than a quarter of that of other countries. To aggravate the situation, there is a staggering inequality in the wealth distribution between the rich and the poor. Thus, Indians tend to gravitate toward inexpensive solutions. Indian healthcare value chain and operational model have evolved around keeping costs as low as possible. Companies might need to compromise on the sophistication of their solutions to make it economically attractive in India.
Secondly, one must understand that Indian geography and demography are incredibly diverse and complex. This requires companies to develop hyper-localized business models to succeed in India. For example, companies with early-screening solutions will have better chances to succeed in Delhi due to the presence of numerous Mohalla clinics (primary health center) across the city than say, neighboring Rajasthan.
Thirdly, India is notorious for complex and intimidating bureaucratic proceedings. However, many of the erstwhile procedures have been done away with. In January 2017, the Government of India introduced a new set of medical device regulations which have been hailed by the medical device community. Most notably, if a device has been granted sales license from either US, UK, Australia, Canada or Japan, it will no longer be required to undergo clinical trials in India.
Lastly, India is the home to one of the largest generic drug market and is a major exporter of generics all over the world. The market is supported by Indian drug and patent laws that make it challenging for branded drug companies to succeed. This is a major point that the Israeli biopharmaceutical industry should take note of.
The beginning of a growing synergy:

Israel is no stranger to the Indian healthcare industry. Joining the league of defense, agriculture, and water technology, healthcare has become a major area of focus between the two countries over the years with quite a few success stories. Earlier this year, an Israeli startup – GlucoMe entered into an exclusive agreement with Apollo Sugar, a part of India’s largest chain of multispeciality hospitals to integrate its wireless blood sugar monitoring kit into Apollo’s home-care kit. In 2017, Zebra Medical Vision collaborated with Bangalore-based Teleradiology Solutions to employ’s Zebra’s proprietary deep learning analytics on radiology data to multiple healthcare centers across India. Both governments have taken pro-active roles to boost collaboration in the healthcare sector. Such initiatives, including the India-Israel Innovation Fund, numerous hackathons such as the TechEmerge challenge, aim to help Israeli startups launch pilot studies in India with the help of an Indian partner.

Envisioning brighter prospect, many Indian commercial firms are actively scouting for innovative Israeli startups which can potentially offer solutions to India’s healthcare challenges. Nuveos Tech LLP, co-founded by brothers Harit and Rishit Agrawal, seeks to bridge the gap between Israeli innovators and Indian consumers. “We form strategic partnerships with medical device companies. We not only provide access to the Indian market but also innovate the sales and distribution channels to the last mile” says Harit. Towards this end, the Mumbai based firm is already working with multiple Israeli companies. Recently, they signed a strategic agreement with Kfar-Saba based Healthwatch Ltd. to commence large-scale clinical trial for their wearable cardiac diagnostic device, Master Caution. “Along with the recent strong political and economic ties between the two countries, we believe this is a great opportunity” Agrawal brothers added.

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/israels-bid-to-solve-indias-billion-dollar-healthcare-problem/

Tens of thousands die in Africa each year due to fake drugs

DAKAR (Reuters) – When Moustapha Dieng came down with stomach pains one day last month he did the sensible thing and went to a doctor in his hometown of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital.

The doctor prescribed a malaria treatment but the medicine cost too much for Dieng, a 30-year-old tailor, so he went to an unlicensed street vendor for pills on the cheap.

“It was too expensive at the pharmacy. I was forced to buy street drugs as they are less expensive,” he said.

Within days he was hospitalized – sickened by the very drugs that were supposed to cure him.

Tens of thousands of people in Africa die each year because of fake and counterfeit medication, an E.U.-funded report released on Tuesday said. The drugs are mainly made in China but also in India, Paraguay, Pakistan and the United Kingdom.

Almost half the fake and low-quality medicines reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) between 2013 and 2017 were found to be in sub-Saharan Africa, said the report, also backed by Interpol and the Institute for Security Studies.

A vendor writes as she stands in a legal pharmacy in Abidjan, Ivory Coast October 16, 2018. REUTERS/Luc Gnago
“Counterfeiters prey on poorer countries more than their richer counterparts, with up to 30 times greater penetration of fakes in the supply chain,” said the report.

Substandard or fake anti-malarials cause the deaths of between 64,000 and 158,000 people per year in sub-Saharan Africa, the report said.

The counterfeit drug market is worth around $200 billion worldwide annually, WHO says, making it the most lucrative trade of illegally copied goods. Its impact has been devastating.

Nigeria said more than 80 children were killed in 2009 by a teething syrup tainted with a chemical normally used in engine coolant and blamed for causing kidney failure.

For Dieng, the cost can be measured in more than simple suffering. The night in hospital cost him more than double what he would have paid had he bought the drugs the doctor ordered.

“After taking those drugs, the provenance of which we don’t know, he came back with new symptoms … All this had aggravated his condition,” said nurse Jules Raesse, who treated Dieng when he stayed at the clinic last month.

Fake drugs also threaten a thriving pharmaceutical sector in several African countries.

That has helped prompt Ivory Coast – where fake drugs were also sold openly – to crack down on the trade, estimated at $30 billion by Reuters last year.

Ivorian authorities said last month they had seized almost 400 tonnes of fake medicine over the past two years.

Able Ekissi, an inspector at the health ministry, told Reuters the seized goods, had they been sold to consumers, would have represented a loss to the legitimate pharmaceutical industry of more than $170 million.

“They are reputed to be cheaper, but at best they are ineffective and at worst toxic,” Abderrahmane Chakibi, Managing Director of French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi’s sub-Saharan Africa branch.

But in Ivory Coast, many cannot afford to shop in pharmacies, which often only stock expensive drugs imported from France, rather than cheaper generics from places like India.

“When you have no means you are forced to go out onto the street,” said Barakissa Cherik, a pharmacist in Ivory Coast’s lagoon-side commercial capital Abidjan.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-westafrica-drugs-fake/tens-of-thousands-die-in-africa-each-year-due-to-fake-drugs-idUKKCN1NK23I?fbclid=IwAR1mIoFEH3HjXTDXNOvF4hd_bRAp5_kup10B3pOhOP7brUS2WdguddhmHaE

Why Fighting Fake Meds Means Fighting AMR

Drug resistance is under the spotlight these days, as World Antibiotic Awareness Week takes place from 12-18 November and the Wellcome Trust holds its Second Call to Action on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) on 19-20 November. You might have heard of the public health threat of AMR. But do you also know how falsified medicines can spread drug resistance?

We have created small infographics for you to share on your social media channels to make sure everybody stays safe from fake antibiotics and understands how they contribute to drug resistance. Because fighting #fakemeds means fighting AMR and both are serious public health threats that are everybody’s business.

Use our messages or write your own, download our images and post them on social media and tell us why you fight falsified antibiotics!

Make sure to tag @FightTheFakes and join the conversation using #fakemeds. We want to hear from you.

http://fightthefakes.org/updates/why-fighting-fake-meds-means-fighting-amr/?fbclid=IwAR0xH7UkrNLGLbP59JpXIUMglBWId67WbwxgvUPYylRGpJiE1glhiFzQhjk

Organised crime in Africa / The rise of counterfeit pharmaceuticals in Africa

The growing phenomenon of counterfeit medicines in Africa puts people’s lives at risk and causes profound public health challenges.

Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) places significant emphasis on populations’ health, and sub-target 3.8 specifies access ‘to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all’. Yet, remarkably missing from the discourse around achieving this goal is the need to address the growing phenomenon of counterfeit medicines, which disproportionately affects developing countries. Counterfeit medicines put people’s lives at risk, finance criminal groups and cause profound public health challenges. The full scale of the challenge in Africa is not fully understood, but research suggests that the problem and its impact are severe. If the continent is to make headway in achieving SDG 3, the issue of counterfeit medicines must move higher up on policy agendas. Experience elsewhere suggests that there would be scope for significant positive results.

About the authors

Robin Cartwright is an executive director at UK Government Investments within HM Treasury; a director at Social Finance, a non-profit social investment organisation; and a senior fellow at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. Before joining the non-profit sector, Robin was a partner for 15 years in the Global Strategy Team of global business adviser KPMG, where he worked on evaluating major merger and acquisition transactions and built a capability to measure and counter illegal trade. He began his career in intelligence and security in the UK Ministry of Defence.

Ana Baric is a writer, researcher and anti-corruption advocate. She is currently the policy coordinator for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption in the UK and was formerly a reporter for the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project in Sarajevo and Thomson Reuters in London. Ana is a research assistant at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

https://enactafrica.org/research/policy-briefs/the-rise-of-counterfeit-pharmaceuticals-in-africa?fbclid=IwAR2QKqeLfVP9wwcrp0eA98VePYAAXythkWvN6q7FDWtu-T7v3_MG3BAMA1g

Beware! These products most likely to be fake if you are shopping online

E-commerce sites have made out life easier; you can shop anything while sitting at home in a few clicks. You can also purchase the products at the cheapest price and make the best use of festival sales, offers, and cashback. But there has been a huge disadvantage of shopping online and that is ending up with fake products; sometimes even on reliable sites like Flipkart and Amazon.

Both e-commerce giants were recently sent notices by Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for allegedly selling “spurious and adulterated” cosmetics. Moreover, the Delhi High Court recently ordered e-commerce companies to ensure that none of the products being sold online is fake/counterfeit.

The Delhi HC order came on a suit filed by women’s luxury shoe brand — Christian Louboutin — which claimed that e-commerce site Darveys.com was selling counterfeit products in their name.

A survey by LocalCircles showed that at least one in 5 people get cheated while shopping online. Moreover, there are particular categories which are more like to be fake.

The survey, in which 27,000 people participated from 200 plus districts, said that the highest number of fake products are from fragrances & perfumes and cosmetics category. A whopping 35% of people said that the highest number of fake products are from fragrances & perfumes and cosmetics category.

22% said that they received fake sporting goods, while 8% said they received fake bags in the name of the brand.

Moreover, the problem is, the survey showed, that a whopping 70% people said that they had no way of finding out if the product they bought online was fake or counterfeit.

“It is quite concerning in the sense that the number and percentage of counterfeits being shipped could be much higher if consumers knew how to identify a counterfeit product,” LocalCircles said.

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https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/beware-these-products-most-likely-to-be-fake-if-you-are-shopping-online/1374540/lite/

Death by blood counterfeiting

इश्तेहारों की दुनिया
By Alok Suman, Motilal Nehru College

मैं जब भी आज का अख़बार खोलता हूँ,
मैं ख़बरों को हर कोने में टटोलता हूँ,
खबरों की जगहें भरी सी है लगती,
रंगों से, तस्वीरें सनी सी हैं लगती।
रंगीन कागज़ ,कलम अखबारों की दुनिया,
ये दुनिया है अब इश्तेहारों की दुनिया।

यहां चिप्स पैकेट में मिलती हवा है,
तबीयत को मिनटों में ठीक करती दवा है।
पेप्सी और कोला का ऐसा कहर है,
पी कर जीत आगे और पीछे ये डर है।
शराबों की क्या बात बोलूँ तुम्हे मैं,
शराबी के जज्बात बोलूं तुम्हे मैं ?
सोडे के नाम से ये शराब बेचते हैं,
और गरीबों की अर्थी पे हथेली सेंकते हैं।
न सच्ची रही अब मक्कारों की दुनिया,
ये दुनिया है अब इश्तेहारों की दुनिया।

नई क्रीम आयी है तुम भी लगा लो,
चमकती त्वचा सा निखार पा लो।
लड़की दोस्त ना है तो टेंशन न पालो,
नहाना जो भूलो, तो परफ्यूम लगा लो।
जो दिल और दिमाग एक जगह पे न हो फिर,
तो मेंटोस खा लो, दिमाग की बत्ती जला लो,
बालों की सफेदी जो बुढापा ले आये,
तुम गोदरेज लाओ, काटो खोलो और लगा लो।
जो जीते हो तुम है नजारो की दुनिया,
ये दुनिया है अब इश्तेहारों की दुनिया।

मैंने कब्रों की बेहतर सजावट भी देखी,
और माँ के दूध में फिर मिलावट भी देखी।
कलाकारों को कैमरे सामने हँसते भी देखा,
और उस झूठी हंसी की दिखावट भी देखी।
गैरों के मकानों में रहते थे जो लोग,
उनके हाथों मकानों की बनावट भी देखी।
जहाँ सर पे होती नही छत है अपनी, ये ऐसे रही है किराएदारों की दुनिया,
तुम्हे क्या बताऊँ तुम ख़ुद ही समझ लो, ये दुनिया है अब इश्तेहारों की दुनिया।

यहाँ ऑनलाइन है कीमा भी मिलता,
तेरे मरने के बाद बीमा भी मिलता।
जो कपड़े खरीदो तुम इनके यहाँ से,
तुम सीमा मँगाओ तो सीना है मिलता।
अब तो इंटरनेट पे भी मिल रही हैं सब्जियाँ,
तुम लौकी मँगाओ तो खीरा है मिलता।
जो नमक की हरामी हैं कर भी न सकते, ऐसे इंसानों से भरी है गद्दारों की दुनिया,
तुम्हें क्या बताऊँ तुम ख़ुद ही समझ लो, ये दुनिया है अब इश्तेहारों की दुनिया।

इश्तेहारों की दुनिया है पर याद आया,
ये दुनिया भी है तो सरकारों की दुनिया।
नई सड़कें बनके बनी जा रही हैं,
पुल से दबके यूँ जानें चली जा रही हैं।
हाँ। अखबारों में घर घर बिजली के डंके हैं,
पर अभी तक मेरे गाँव मे सिर्फ खंभे हैं।
हाँ ये भी इश्तेहार है कि माफी उधारी है,
पर इसमें भी वक़्त है, क्योंकि काम सरकारी है।
अखबारों में बेटी पढ़ाई जा रही है,
और टेलीविजन में बेटी बचाई जा रही है,
पर इनको कोई समझाए भी कैसे की हर घर मे ख्वाहिशें दफनाई जा रही है ।
ये वादे भी देते और वादाखिलाफी भी देते,
बस वक़्त आने पे माफी हैं मांग लेते।
सरकारों की नहीं ये गुनाहगारों की दुनिया,
ये दुनिया है अब इश्तेहारों की दुनिया।

ये दुनिया जो है कुछ ज्यादा ही कमबख्त है,
ये बाहर से मुलायम पर अंदर से सख्त है।
ये आंखों में मेरी झिलमिल रोशनी डाल देती है,
मुझको अंधा करके ये मुझे बेच डालती है,
इनकी साजिश अनोखी है पर है ये गहरी,
इनकी गूंजो के आगे है दुनिया ये बहरी।
लो तुम भी जरा अपने कानों से सुन लो, भले इनके पहरे में कई ख्वाब बुन लो,
जरा सोच चलना , है मजारों की दुनिया,
ये दुनिया है अब इश्तेहारों की दुनिया।

https://drjayashreegupta.blogspot.com/2018/11/inter-college-poetry-contest-in.html?m=1

Fake Antibiotics in spotlight at Wellcome Trust Call to Action on AMR: 19-20 November

Fight the Fakes will be in Ghana the second time this year to do what it does best: Raise awareness about falsified medicines at the Wellcome Trust Call to Action on Antimicrobial Resistance from 19-20 November. The focus will be specifically on fake antibiotics and their role in spreading antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

AMR is recognized as one of the most challenging global health threats today, and fake antibiotics can be a significant contributor to spreading AMR. According to WHO, one-third of all falsified and substandard antimicrobials reported were first and second choice antibiotics, meaning they are widely available.

Fake antibiotics can contain an insufficient amount of active ingredients, which increases the risk of antimicrobial resistance. This is why it is key Fight the Fakes contributes to the fight against superbugs and raises awareness about the dangers of falsified antibiotics.

The Call to Action, organised by the Wellcome Trust in partnership with the Inter-Agency Coordination Group (IACG) on Antimicrobial Resistance, and co-hosted with the governments of Ghana and Thailand, and the United Nations Foundation, is a key event to discuss which are the critical gaps in tackling drug-resistant infections.

Make sure you look for Fight the Fakes partners IFPMA, IPSF and USP, who will be there to represent the campaign.

Join the campaign on Social Media and speak up against #fakemeds

Share our Fight the Fakes visuals and messages on Twitter and Facebook using #fakemeds and #StopSuperbugs. Tell us why you fight fake medicines and drug resistance. We want to hear from you!

http://fightthefakes.org/updates/fake-antibiotics-in-spotlight-at-wellcome-trust-call-to-action-on-amr-19-20-november/

Finding fakes: how to stop counterfeit imaging supplies from damaging your business

Counterfeit imaging supplies often contain dangerous chemicals which can damage printers, as well as causing serious health issues for consumers; the market in these illegal products is now believed to be worth €1.6bn, with law enforcement agencies across the globe struggling to meet the rising challenge.

The sale of counterfeit goods can also fund human trafficking, the drugs trade and even terrorism. The harm done to a reseller’s reputation by selling these illegal goods is significant – so, what can a business do to ensure they don’t get caught out?

The benefits of buying genuine

The simplest way that a retailer can protect their reputation is to not purchase counterfeit printer products. Buying from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is just one of the ways that a reseller can trust that its customers will receive optimal printing performance. Consumers also benefit from the manufacturer’s customer service support, should they run into any technical problems while using the products – should something go awry, they are covered by the item’s warranty.

For Valerie Whitelaw, a brand protection manager for Corporate Security at Xerox, and ICCE member, the problems of counterfeit printing products are all too real. “Counterfeiting is a multi-million dollar business” she says. “Having worked with law enforcement agencies around the world, I have seen first-hand the human cost of allowing these illegal supply chains to continue.

“The best way to protect consumers is for businesses to alert the relevant authorities when they suspect they are being offered fake goods; it’s through co-operation that can we can protect consumers and jobs.”

Industry support is available

Criminals will do their best to infiltrate supply chains with counterfeit products that look like the real thing, but help is available. The Imaging Consumables Coalition of Europe, Middle East and Africa (ICCE) has more than two decades of experience in stopping the sale of counterfeit goods. ICCE provides advice and support to dealers, distributors and consumers in the identification and authentication of ink consumable products, such as ink cartridges, ribbons and toners. ICCE members follow a strict code of conduct to ensure they don’t break any competition legislation when sharing information. The association also provides training to law enforcement agencies.

The organisation’s website has more information about ICCE and its work.

Counterfeit products are, without doubt, a threat to the market of genuine products and the future viability of legitimate businesses, as Nicola Consterdine, IP protection manager at Epson Europe, and ICCE member, explains.

“At Epson we invest heavily into research and development – approximately six per cent of our annual turnover, or $1.3m every day – and a significant proportion of this goes towards ink development to ensure the printer and ink will deliver the premium results our customers expect,” she says.

“When customers see the Epson brand, they are assured the product meets the highest quality and safety standards in the industry. Counterfeits can diminish consumer confidence in our brand, and are misleading for our customers who may be duped into paying premium prices for what they believe to be genuine Epson supplies.”

Criminal prosecutions of counterfeiters

Selling counterfeit products is a criminal offence and it is therefore advisable to check the source of products supplied to you. In recent months there have been several notable criminal prosecutions against counterfeiters and companies breaking consumer protection legislation; several individuals have received substantial jail sentences and significant fines as a result and, in Greece, two men were recently each sentenced to 21 months in prison for selling counterfeit printer goods.

The scale of the problem facing law enforcement is enormous, and makes intelligence-sharing even more vital. In the past few months police in the UAE have seized fake toner cartridges worth some $40m, while raids in Turkey uncovered more than 14,000 counterfeit printer products with a street value of €2m. ICCE members helped identify fake versions of their products during these investigations.

Protecting consumer rights

As the number of counterfeit imaging supplies has increased, law enforcement has joined forces with industry to combat the rising threat to consumers.

“Consumers don’t expect [to find] fake shampoo or a fake ink cartridge for sale on the internet or in the shops,” Chris Vansteenkiste, a cluster manager with Europol’s Anti-Counterfeiting Unit, IPC3, said during an interview with ICCE last year.

“Counterfeiters are becoming smarter. They’re not just focusing on luxury brands like they did in the beginning – they’re focusing on day-to-day consumer goods.”

The new head of Britain’s City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), Detective Chief Inspector Teresa Russell, goes further. “Why would anyone subject their family and friends to something that could cause severe physical harm to themselves or their property, for the sake of saving a couple of pounds?

“If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is – and help is available to consumers.”

Help to identify counterfeit goods

There are three key things for a dealer to check when purchasing imaging supplies to avoid falling foul of counterfeiters: source, price and quality. In addition, legitimate products have authentication features which can help resellers and consumers to identify potentially counterfeit products.

Source: Buying from a trusted dealer, or straight from a manufacturer, ensures that a reseller can have full confidence that the product they are receiving is genuine. They can show a potential customer detailed product information from the brand, which provides reassurance during the sales process.

Price: If the price sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

Quality: If customers report any problems with the product – such as leaking, poor quality printing or strange odours – then it’s paramount that a dealer takes immediate action and recalls the item for review. Delay could cause further damage to a customer’s device and harm a reseller’s reputation by supplying a customer with a fake product.

Authentication: Counterfeiters make their money by selling multiple copies of smaller value items. As a result, they often make mistakes on the packaging or labelling which are easily identifiable, such as spelling brand names incorrectly. On the ICCE website, many manufacturers have explained the authentication methods they employ which can help resellers identify whether a product is counterfeit or not.

https://dealersupport.co.uk/finding-fakes-how-to-stop-counterfeit-imaging-supplies-from-damaging-your-business/amp/#top

Fake drugs: the global industry putting your life at risk

In late 2012, 60 people died in two cities in Pakistan after drinking cough syrup to get high. Syrups from two separate manufacturers were involved. It was found that both were using an active ingredient – dextromethorphan, a synthetic morphine-like compound – imported from the same manufacturer in India. Indian drug authorities put a halt to production while they investigated.

Tests in Pakistan revealed that the medicines seemed to contain the correct amount of active ingredient. But further tests revealed something that was not supposed to be there. Levomethorphan, a chemical five times stronger than morphine, was the contaminant that had caused the deaths.

In September 2013, 44 children in Paraguay were admitted to hospital with breathing difficulties. It turned out the children had all been given a locally made cough medicine. Investigators went to the factory and found import records for the dextromethorphan it contained. When they checked the World Health Organization’s database of substandard and falsified medical products, they found that this came from the same batch that had caused the deaths in Pakistan.

Doctors in Paraguay were able to administer an antidote and save the children. A WHO alert went out listing the batches from the Indian factory that might be contaminated. By then the ingredient had been transported to multiple countries in Europe, north Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. It had already been made into cough medicines in Colombia and Peru, but these were recalled before they could reach patients. The batch that went to the Middle East could not be traced.

In this case, a blatantly poor-quality medicine was detected because its effects were conspicuous. A more discreet kind of substandard medicine – say, an antibiotic without enough active ingredient – probably stands a strong chance of reaching patients across the world without getting discovered.

https://mosaicscience.com/story/fake-drugs-global-antibiotics-amr-counterfeit-meds/

The Counterfeit Report: The Big Business of Fakes