Many small pharmaceutical companies are allegedly involved in manufacturing drugs by using the labels of leading brands, wholesalers at the Mitford market, have said.
Abdul Hai, Vice President of Bangladesh Chemist and Druggist Association (BCDA), said while counterfeiters produce antibiotics and many other essential drugs, the drug office is playing the role a bystander, leaving the lives of people at jeopardy.
He said some small drug companies are manufacturing counterfeit products by copying packets, blisters and other labels for some running products manufactured by some pharma majors.
The BCDA leader said the drug office is not playing its due role to identify such drugs even though they know the companies that are manufacturing these.
He said there is a nexus between the wholesalers and some small companies that counterfeit some running products of leading companies.
    Salim Barami, director of the drug administration office, said his office fined more than 300 companies about Tk 5.0 million for manufacturing and selling counterfeit drugs until last June.
He said, "We do not have adequate manpower and intelligence to detect counterfeit drugs or the factories which are resorting to this unethical practice."
He said in many countries there are intelligence tips for identifying smuggled or counterfeit drugs among the law enforcement agencies.
"But there is no such arrangement in Bangladesh and even many leading companies do not inform us in fear of their reputation and the consumers' confidence," the drug official said.
Another BCDA office-bearer said there are more than 250 pharmaceutical companies in the country but only fewer than 40 companies hold almost cent per cent market share. "How do the rest of the companies run their business?" he posed the question.
He said some small companies are investing in counterfeiting leading companies' running products.
According to insiders, though the counterfeit drugs are being marketed mainly outside the capital city, many posh hospitals in Dhaka use foreign drugs using the local label.
By taking the low quality counterfeit drugs people are not getting the desired treatment and even in many cases it is leading to deteriorating health conditions of some critical patients, a drug office senior staff said.
He said, "As per complaints made by different sources we conducted special drives but as our power is limited; sometimes these drives do not become effective."
A senior official of a leading pharmaceutical company said, requesting anonymity, "We heard about many cases of counterfeiting our products and instantly we brought the matter to the notice of the drug office."
He said the drug office does not have adequate manpower and they are not empowered to punish offenders.
A drug office source said, "We are only empowered to file regular cases against counterfeiting and such other crimes verdicts of which take many years."
Citing an example of a closed pharmaceutical company, he said a case was filed against the company in the year 1996 but its verdict was finally delivered in the year 2014.
He said for effective punishment the drug office is currently conducting drives with support of the mobile court magistrates and law enforcement agencies.
Copycat drug cos sprouting up on drug office inaction
Shamsul Huda | Published: August 03, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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