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Editorial

Counterfeit drug trade flourishing

It is time to control the menace of fake medicine


Bangladeshpost
Published : 24 Nov 2020 07:53 PM | Updated : 25 Nov 2020 12:49 AM

It is alarming to note that there are about 1.5 lakh unregistered drug stores running businesses across the country and many of them are producing, storing, and selling counterfeit or adulterated medicines.

Counterfeit drug trade has grown at a faster rate over the last several years in Bangladesh. General people in Bangladesh remain unaware of the danger of fake medicine as there is no official reporting on the part of the media and the government regarding its sale and consumption. 

Authorities concerned have been struggling for years to curb sales of fake and substandard medicines and efforts to control this problem have seen no remarkable success. Moreover, the existing penalties for manufacturing fake drugs are not sufficient to deter this extremely profitable but immoral practice. 


The government must provide adequate 

manpower and resources for monitoring 

the production of  all types of drugs


Therefore, if immediate action is not devised, the market of fake medicines will grow in an exponential rate and thousands of people will die and suffer unreported. 

Experts are of the opinion that unregistered shops are getting a scope to do business due to the weakness of the regulatory body. Shortage of manpower and lack of lab facilities to check purity of drugs are the main reasons for the growing spurious drug industry of the country. Also the reason of growing fake medicines market lies in the vicious nexus among manufactures, the authority in the system and the original drug distributing channel. 

Considering all above, the government should formulate an integrated strategy and form a high level taskforce involving the all the departments concerned to check the alarming growth of fake medicine across the country and act accordingly in no time. It is time for all the stakeholders including the government and drug manufacturers to join hands together for controlling the menace of fake medicine. The government must also provide adequate manpower and resources for monitoring the production of all types of drugs.