Guicci, Prada, Fendi, Morphine: The threat of Counterfeit Drugs in Mongolia
Mongolia sees its fair share of counterfeit products cross the border. But while fake Louis Vuitton toilet seats and Prada car seat covers seem to harm little more than Mongolia's fashion integrity, there are a series of more dangerous counterfeit products making their into the country.
A UNDP report revealed that between 10-13% of the world's drugs are counterfeit, and an estimated criminal profit of USD 35 billion is made each year from sales of the fake drugs. Mongolia is in a vulnerable position, between the two largest producers of counterfeit medicines, China and Russia.
Most of the drugs make their way over the Chinese border, concealed in timber and food shipments. identification of shipments is difficult and inspection agencies are critically understaffed.
The drugs themselves vary in quality. Some have unregulated quantities of the active ingredient, making them weak or overly strong. Others are made out of substitute materials, while some are placebos compiled with dirt and chalk to resemble pills
An increase in drug trafficking is a negative symptom of free border movement that began when the Soviet Union fell.
Like diseases themselves, Mongolia has been opened up to a slew of unreliable treatments. According to a Mongolian Ministry of Health (MoH) report, "control on import medicines is not sufficient at the entry points, especially at the seasonal entry points." Mongolia has 14 permanent entry points along its borders, and 7 seasonal ones.
The same report notes the 85% of mongolia's drug needs are sourced from imports. An undercover test run found that an average of 8 out of 55 samples were found to be counterfeit. The drugs bought in border towns and also in Ulaanbaatar's Narantuul market were shown to be inconsistent in weight with international standards.
While many of the drugs have been found in markets and unmarked rural pharmacies, there are also fears that hospitals are opening their cabinets to the illegal medicines. In the past, nine Mongolian hospitals have been accused of selling counterfeit drugs.
In a 2010 article, prominent Ulaanbaatar economist D.Jargalsaikhan claimed that "innocent young kids die on hospital beds because hospitals inject counterfeit injections." He also urged an apathetic Government to conduct more raids on the city's drug stores, and take a more proactive approach in examine where Mongolia’s drugs come from.
Despite the growing threat that counterfeit drugs pose, there is often little defense that an under-resourced Government can offer. On a 2010 speech made by US Food and Drug Commissioner Margaret Hamburg M.D. on the subject of fake medicines, she said "it's really hard to know the full extent of the problem… It is shocking to realise that, in some parts of the world, somewhere between 30 and 50 percent of drugs to treat serious diseases are actually counterfeit"
Several parts of the world have initiated database programs to help track the movement of the illicit drugs, including a successful system set up in Germany called IT’S TRUE™. The system works on a user friendly barcode system, where registered products contain a concealed code that can be typed into the database. Counterfeit items are identified and retailers and wholesalers are warned not to invest in the products. The program is freely available online, meaning that civilians can also potentially use the software.
A similar database prototype has been set up in the Pharmaceutical department of the Mongolian Ministry of Health. While the database has received initial funding from the Government and the World Health Organisation, the software requires constant updates and will take years to reach international standards.
Even in perfect operating order, the system would still be unable to stop those who are buying directly from sellers at border towns. Legal medication also poses a problem, with prescription drugs often sold over the counter. These include Benzodiazepines and other hypnotics such as Russian ‘Zaleplon’
In 2011, Yury Fedotov from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and Nyamdorj Tsend, the Minister of Justice and Home Affairs, made an agreement to strengthen control on drug trafficking in the Central Asian Region, however there is a limited amount that can be done without more funding.
As Mongolia opens itself up to an increasingly migratory population, the issue of drug trafficking will become more and more prominent. Increased vigilance and tighter border controls appear to be the only defense against a potentially devastating epidemic of counterfeit drugs.
A UNDP report revealed that between 10-13% of the world's drugs are counterfeit, and an estimated criminal profit of USD 35 billion is made each year from sales of the fake drugs. Mongolia is in a vulnerable position, between the two largest producers of counterfeit medicines, China and Russia.
Most of the drugs make their way over the Chinese border, concealed in timber and food shipments. identification of shipments is difficult and inspection agencies are critically understaffed.
The drugs themselves vary in quality. Some have unregulated quantities of the active ingredient, making them weak or overly strong. Others are made out of substitute materials, while some are placebos compiled with dirt and chalk to resemble pills
An increase in drug trafficking is a negative symptom of free border movement that began when the Soviet Union fell.
Like diseases themselves, Mongolia has been opened up to a slew of unreliable treatments. According to a Mongolian Ministry of Health (MoH) report, "control on import medicines is not sufficient at the entry points, especially at the seasonal entry points." Mongolia has 14 permanent entry points along its borders, and 7 seasonal ones.
The same report notes the 85% of mongolia's drug needs are sourced from imports. An undercover test run found that an average of 8 out of 55 samples were found to be counterfeit. The drugs bought in border towns and also in Ulaanbaatar's Narantuul market were shown to be inconsistent in weight with international standards.
While many of the drugs have been found in markets and unmarked rural pharmacies, there are also fears that hospitals are opening their cabinets to the illegal medicines. In the past, nine Mongolian hospitals have been accused of selling counterfeit drugs.
In a 2010 article, prominent Ulaanbaatar economist D.Jargalsaikhan claimed that "innocent young kids die on hospital beds because hospitals inject counterfeit injections." He also urged an apathetic Government to conduct more raids on the city's drug stores, and take a more proactive approach in examine where Mongolia’s drugs come from.
Despite the growing threat that counterfeit drugs pose, there is often little defense that an under-resourced Government can offer. On a 2010 speech made by US Food and Drug Commissioner Margaret Hamburg M.D. on the subject of fake medicines, she said "it's really hard to know the full extent of the problem… It is shocking to realise that, in some parts of the world, somewhere between 30 and 50 percent of drugs to treat serious diseases are actually counterfeit"
Several parts of the world have initiated database programs to help track the movement of the illicit drugs, including a successful system set up in Germany called IT’S TRUE™. The system works on a user friendly barcode system, where registered products contain a concealed code that can be typed into the database. Counterfeit items are identified and retailers and wholesalers are warned not to invest in the products. The program is freely available online, meaning that civilians can also potentially use the software.
A similar database prototype has been set up in the Pharmaceutical department of the Mongolian Ministry of Health. While the database has received initial funding from the Government and the World Health Organisation, the software requires constant updates and will take years to reach international standards.
Even in perfect operating order, the system would still be unable to stop those who are buying directly from sellers at border towns. Legal medication also poses a problem, with prescription drugs often sold over the counter. These include Benzodiazepines and other hypnotics such as Russian ‘Zaleplon’
In 2011, Yury Fedotov from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and Nyamdorj Tsend, the Minister of Justice and Home Affairs, made an agreement to strengthen control on drug trafficking in the Central Asian Region, however there is a limited amount that can be done without more funding.
As Mongolia opens itself up to an increasingly migratory population, the issue of drug trafficking will become more and more prominent. Increased vigilance and tighter border controls appear to be the only defense against a potentially devastating epidemic of counterfeit drugs.
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