Counterfeit artesunate floods Asian markets

Jayashree Padmini - New Delhi

It seems the problem of counterfeit drugs is not confined to India alone, but Asian markets are also inundated with counterfeits, that too of advanced types. At least six counterfeit artesunate products are found to be circulating in key Asian countries.

According to sources, six different counterfeit Guilin Pharma artesunate holograms have been found on fake artesunate blister packs in South East Asia, like Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand (only on western border) and Vietnam and there could be probably more types circulating.

Guilin Pharma developed their hologram as a security device in response to the first type of counterfeit artesunate circulated which had no hologram attached. As a result, any ‘Guilin Pharma’ artesunate now circulating without a blister pack hologram can certainly be considered counterfeit or expired.

Considering this, Guilin pharma has changed the numbering system for different types of fake artesunate and stopped using the term ‘Generation’. Genuine and counterfeit holograms are 13 mm in diameter. Some of the features that differentiate the counterfeit artesunate from genuine products include – poor printing of bar codes on packets, poor printing of codes on blister packs, codes on blister packs printed with the font made of numerous small dots, poor stamping of code ‘AS’ and score line on tablets, raised edges of tablets, unusually late expiry date in relation to date of manufacture ( more than three years) and expiry date before date of manufacture. The counterfeit products are priced less than the original version as well.

Although, the counterfeits observed in these specific markets are of the Guilin Pharma product, it is possible that other fake artesunate or even that of many other drugs exist, that too in the markets across the world. This calls for drug regulatory authorities to be vigilant and monitor regularly the quality of drugs available on the market. If the authenticity of any artesunate sample based on the characteristics of the packaging is doubtful it should be checked by chemical analysis of the tablet, according to Wellcome Trust SE Asian Tropical Medicine Research Units.