The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates a staggering 1 million people die each year from ingesting counterfeit medications. Shazill Maqsood is a prime example of a person that almost lost his daughter due to counterfeit medications.
Maqsood’s daughter got sick and was diagnosed with pneumonia. According to his local market, he was advised to give his daughter a powder medication that was “known” to help fight off pneumonia. Under the guidance of the local market, his daughter got even sicker and the medication didn’t help.
Bringing his daughter to another local doctor for help, Maqsood was told that the medication given to him was poisoning his daughter and ceasing the medication proved life-saving.
Not all stories of counterfeit medications end up this way. In Pakistan, 120 people died in 2012 following just one incident where counterfeit heart medications were being dispensed to patients. Asia has the largest number of counterfeit medication crimes, with 875 taking place in 2014. Europe follows with 408 pharmaceutical crimes reported in 2014.
Pakistan’s markets are filled with kiosks selling pills, tablets and medications – many of which are counterfeit. Residents state that it’s impossible to tell which medications are genuine or counterfeit.
CNN conducted their own investigation following a recent story of counterfeit medications in Pakistan. Not far from the markets where the counterfeit medications are being sold, cameramen found workers grinding powder in the alleyway before adding them to pill capsules.
An unnamed man states that they “make everything as long as it’s in high demand in the market place”.
All of the ingredients go into different capsules and bottles with only small color changes when needed. The same market where the counterfeit products are sold supplies the materials needed for counterfeiting: bottles, bottle caps, capsules and even boxes are sold by medical supply salesmen.
Fake drugs show signs of poison, brick dust, pesticides and pain among several other ingredients, states the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.
