The busting of the dens of spurious medicines by the law enforcers has been on a sharp rise for some time. It readily points to the fact that the syndicate of fake drug manufacturers is becoming stronger day by day in the country. Despite the increased surveillance by various monitoring authorities and striking forces, they remain undeterred.
In a country where food adulteration is widespread, the practice of making spurious medicines is nothing unusual. Perhaps Bangladesh is one of the countries, where this crime is resorted to so nonchalantly. The fake medicine manufacturers have little prick of conscience as they flood the market with even spurious life-saving drugs. These drugs usually go to the city suburbs and the vast rural area. Some unscrupulous local physicians even prescribe them for innocent patients. Many drugs enter these areas as over-the-counter medicines. It may remind one of the tragedies which occurred in the country following the taking of a fake fever-remission drug by hundreds of babies around two decades ago. One cannot say people are not dying these days upon taking fake life-saving medicines.
Manufacturing spurious drugs lead to the highest forms of punishment in many civilised countries. In our case, the heinous practice is generally taken lightly, and sometimes swept under the carpet. It seems the fake medicine syndicate adopts devices of outdoing the law enforcement and monitoring authorities.
There is little doubt that the common people will endorse any harsh measure that will be taken against the fake medicine manufacturers.
Sharafat Ali
Basabo, Dhaka
Menace of fake drugs
FE Team | Published: October 31, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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