Counterfeit drug cases double as gangs target NHS supply chain

Criminals have switched from using the internet to sell small quantities of fake products to the public, to instead focus on the pharmaceutical wholesalers who supply the health service.

In this way, drugs worth thousands of pounds can be traded in a single transaction.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said five incidents in the last two years had been detected where fake medicines had reached patients through the NHS.

Before this there had been no incidents since 1994.

Naeem Ahmed, head of intelligence at the MHRA, said the agency was currently investigating 25 cases of medicines counterfeiting - twice as many as five years ago.

He warned counterfeiters that they would be tracked down and prosecuted for their dangerous practices.

The MHRA said that counterfeiting put patients at risk because the drugs may contain toxic substances.

Last year a batch of counterfeit heart drugs seized by EU customs officers were found to contain brick dust coated with yellow paint and furniture polish.

The lack of any active ingredient means patients do not get treatment for their illness.

The MHRA said counterfeit medicines had already caused deaths in Africa and Asia.

They said the credibility of the health service could also be harmed if fake drugs entered the legitimate supply chain.

This, the agency said, could lead to patients becoming "irrationally fearful of perfectly safe treatments".

Mr Ahmed said rising counterfeiting was being driven by the growth in demand for lifestyle drugs to treat obesity and impotence.

"We will track down those who are intent on abusing the regulatory system for financial gain," he added.

"I cannot over-emphasise just how dangerous this kind of activity is. We will continue to clamp down on people who flout the laws under the Medicines Act and pose a threat to public health."

The counterfeit drugs that have reached the NHS supply chain so far have not harmed patients.

Mr Ahmed said: "We have been lucky that the active ingredient was only marginally below the required amount."

Matthew Worrall, from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, said drug companies were concerned by rising counterfeiting of drugs.

"We are constantly finding new ways to frustrate the counterfeiters and make our products more difficult to fake," he said.

"We would urge the public not to panic as the NHS supply chain in the UK is one of the most difficult to penetrate.

"But we remain vigilant to the risks and we are working with the police and regulatory agencies to combat drug counterfeiting."

CHEAP WAY TO CREATE NEW MEDICINES

RESEARCHERS have developed a way of creating new medicines at a fraction of the price charged by the big drugs companies.

Professor Sunil Shaunak and Steve Bocchini, of Imperial College London, hope that "ethical pharmaceuticals" will help millions of patients in the Third World and cut the NHS drugs bill.

Their technique involves adapting basic molecular discoveries to create new drugs. The researchers adapt theirs differently from those of the big companies, to avoid violating patent laws, but insist their drugs are just as effective.

VIAGRA FAVOURITE AMONG THE FAKES

DRUG counterfeiters have targeted the most popular medicines to create fake products to sell on the internet and, increasingly, to the NHS.

Viagra, made by the pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer, has been a favourite among fakers. The impotence treatment is the most widely sold prescription drug on the internet. Lipitor, which is used to treat high cholesterol and is the world's best-selling drug, has also fallen victim to counterfeiters. Fake batches have been detected in the NHS supply chain in the past two years. Other drugs to be faked include Reductil, for the treatment of obesity, and Prozac, for depression.