While the word “counterfeit” may conjure up images of fake cash and knock-off handbags, the pharmaceutical industry – and with it, the fight against COVID-19 – has been significantly affected by illicit goods.

In a major operation, Interpol recently intercepted global counterfeit rings, closing more than 100,000 bogus online pharmacies, making nearly 300 arrests and seizing more than US$20 million (£14.2 million) worth of counterfeit items in the process. Mainly targeting counterfeit COVID-19 testing kits, this operation followed other examples. These have included the discovery of counterfeit networks in China and South Africa and the production of fake vaccines from simple, widely available ingredients such as saline solution and mineral water.

Despite these law enforcement breakthroughs, the world’s fight against COVID-19 is being undermined by a booming trade in counterfeit PPE, COVID-19 testing kits, vaccines, vaccine passports and other products that are contributing to the spread of the virus.

The appeal of fake vaccines

Pharmaceutical markets are worth more than US$1 trillion (£710.2 billion) annually, making them an attractive target for counterfeiters, who often trade anonymously via online auction sites or pharmacies.

There are many reasons why counterfeit COVID-19 vaccines in particular are emerging, including the high and instant demand – which has outstripped supply during the pandemic. This has not been helped by the expense of developing vaccines at a national level, affected by the high research and development cost behind producing a genuine product, which has made access difficult, especially for poorer countries. This has ultimately led to unequal global access to vaccines, with much of the world’s supply being controlled by the most powerful countries.

Meanwhile, the relative ease of producing a fake, which might potentially only be detectable as not genuine when it fails to protect someone from the virus, means the barrier to market entry can be relatively low.

The consequences of consuming fake products when they are safety critical, as in the case of an injected vaccine, can of course be significant – and there are many historical cases of fake pharmaceuticals, such as cancer and anti-malaria drugs, causing death.

Read:

https://theconversation.com/counterfeiting-the-underworld-threat-to-beating-covid-19-162627