Jeen S's space

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Encouraging Initiatives - Pharma Packaging

Federal Bureau of Investigation has referred counterfeiting as a crime of 21st century. World wide, in comparison to counterfeiting bank robberies account for less than $ 100 million per year. With in a decade the flow of counterfeit goods is nearly 100 times what it was 20 years ago.

COUNTERFEITING affects us all:

• Permeates almost all of legitimate businesses & industry. 
• Among the fastest growing global economic crimes — second only to drug trafficking or dealing in illicit firearms. The commercial crime is growing faster than international trade.
• Virtually a parallel market — growing 8-10% yearly - faster than int’l trade.
• Frequently plays a part in laundering of drug money.
• Has developed into a sophisticated network of organized crime & terrorism.
• Often leads to human tragedies. 
  

COUNTERFEITING RESULTS INTO A HUGE LOSS:

Loss to economy:

• Globally FMCG sector looses USD $ 650 million per year due to counterfeiting.
• Indian economy loses USD $ 200 million in FMCG sector due to counterfeiting.
• In the USA a report released by Institute of Policy Innovation (IPI) - US economy loses $ 12.5 million due to global piracy of music.
• India Software industry loses USD $ 1250 million due to software piracy.
• A drop in counterfeiting auto parts will add 210,000 jobs to US Auto industry (US Federal Trade Commissions).
• Russia economy looses $ 1 billion due to non-payment of taxes, excise duty, octroi etc.
• 10% of the personal care products traded worldwide are counterfeit.
• 10% of the major soft drinks sold in India are fakes, 10-30% of cosmetics, toiletries and packaged foods are fake.
• Major international alcohol brands lose $ 300 million per year due to counterfeiting.
• The auto-component industry is roughly worth Rs 41,000 crore (Rs 410 billion), which puts the fake market between Rs 15,170 crore (Rs 151.70 billion) and Rs 19,270 crore (Rs 192.70 billion).

STATISTICS RELATED TO COUNTERFEITING

Counterfeit and Pirated Products Index:
$295.07 Billion

Market Overview

28 Counterfeit Products Listed

Product Average: $10.53 Billion

Counterfeit and Piracy Market Index

Source:   Calculation of available products in the country. Products listed below, with source of figure listed on product page.

Counterfeit and Pirated Product

Counterfeit and Piracy Market  Index:
$527.01 Billion

Market Overview

59 Counterfeit Markets Listed

Average Market: $8.77 Billion

Counterfeit and Pirated Products Index

Source:   Calculation of available products in the country. Products listed below, with source of figure listed on product page.

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Hong Kong 2007 036

Pharmaceutical counterfeiting and purchasing medicines from illegal distributions channels have become more and more common and a big problem in our country. Difference medicines and drugs are involved. An alarmingly high proportion of anti-malarial drugs brought in pharmacies and shops are counterfeit, and the problem has only increased significantly in recent years. Recent and widespread appearance of counterfeit artesunate tablets in several countries in South-East Asia including India poses a serious threat to health in this region. In some countries, up to 50 percent medicines are fakes, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) the growing counterfeit drug market is going to be worth a hefty $75 billion globally by 2010.

The difficulty to monitor the spread of fake drugs is that counterfeit medicines are easy to manufacture- they look like genuine drugs in packaging and labeling. Another problems is the wide availability of controlled drugs-narcotics, benzodiazepines, amphetamines and other internationally controlled drugs are easily developed in many developing countries. In addition, countries with weak regulations are most vulnerable to the marketing of counterfeit drugs. Illegal pharmacies and the sale of medicines over the Internet have aggravated the problem further. The rapid expansions of unregulated markets has dramatically worsened the situation. The problem of counterfeit medication and abuse of pharmaceuticals containing controlled substances bought without prescriptions has increased alarmingly and poses graves risks to public health.

The counterfeit drug industry is currently booming with estimates that the black market would reach $75 billion by 2010. Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, barcodes and various other solutions have been offered to the industry as security measures. New holograms products like the ones manufactured by an innovative new platform technology which can react to simple stimuli such as breath or water to reveal a hidden image or change colour to confirm a product's authenticity, promise to be a novel arrow in the quiver of the pharma industry in its attempts to shoot down drug counterfeiters. These smart holograms as they are called, use a variety of polymers between layers of film which are turned to react to different stimuli. The polymers swell as a result of the stimuli and light is refracted in a different way, giving a visual response to verify authenticity. The smart holograms can be integrated into a supply chain to any extent a manufacture chooses, as the hidden image can be designed to fade and reappear as the stimulus is re-applied at a later stage, or employed as a single use feature with the revealed image remaining permanently.

The holograms can be used as a track and trace mechanism. and combined with specialization as well as hidden images to produce both overt and covert security features. The extensive technological research that has gone into the product and the manufacturing complexity will make it an unattractive option for counterfeiters, as is being fervently hoped by the industry.