New service will help fight fake drugs

The International Chamber of Commerce's (ICC) Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau is developing a new initiative to help pharmaceutical companies fight the growing problem of counterfeit drugs.

Due to be launched early next year, the service, will include a facility for the confidential exchange of drug counterfeiting information on an international level. Participants will include pharmaceutical firms and regulators, experts in anti-counterfeiting technology and law enforcement.

'Pharmaceutical counterfeiting is a deadly international crime,' said Peter Lowe of ICC's Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau. 'Thousands of people have already died because the drugs they were taking simply contained no active ingredients.'

Health risks aside, the Bureau says, the fake drugs racket is costing pharmaceutical companies tens of billions of dollars every year.

The new service will advise drug companies on techniques for making their products harder to copy, ranging from invisible chemical markers within the drug itself to high-tech holograms and simple visible signs on the packaging that can be easily recognised by the customer.

'Consumers should know what danger signs to look out for,' said Lowe. 'In parallel with the service for pharmaceutical companies, we're planning to publicise existing fakes on the Internet. People need to be aware of the problem.'