The Danger of Counterfeit Drugs (Second of Two Parts)
A look at some of what is being done to fight fake medicines.
28 February 2010
An electronic tag using radio frequency identification technology
This is the VOA Special English Development Report.
We talked last week about counterfeit medicines and how the problem is especially bad in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The World Health Organization says up to thirty percent of the medicine sold in many developing countries is not real.
It also estimates that up to fifty percent of the medicine sold on the Internet is counterfeit. That can put people at risk even in wealthy countries that represent only a small part of the counterfeit drug market.
Today we look at what is being done to fight counterfeit drugs.
Several companies are developing ways to make counterfeits easier to identify. And there are existing methods, like a machine that can quickly identify chemicals in pills to confirm if the pills are real.
Other ideas include things like special tracking codes for drug packages. People could send a text message with the code and get a message back confirming that what they bought is listed in a database.
Some drug makers and other companies put three-dimensional images called holograms on their products as a security device.
Other anti-counterfeit efforts include the use of radio frequency identification tags. Many companies use these electronic tags to follow products through the supply chain from the manufacturer. The American Food and Drug Administration says R.F.I.D. tags act like an electronic safety net to make it easier to catch counterfeits.
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