That Viagra pill may be fake

THE male sexual enhancement drug, Viagra, which some of you men are using may be fake! This development has been described as the latest “criminal activity,” and is part of a local US$500 million fake drug scam, 40 percent of which is being dispensed in the Government health sector. Wazir Hosein, president of the Pharmacy Board of Trinidad and Tobago, said Government had  been warned about taking away the exclusive rights of pharmacies to sell drugs. Today, in addition to the 215 pharmacies, there are 8,000 additional outlets which sell over-the-counter drugs, which Hosein described as a “recipe for disaster.”

He added that the advent of the suitcase trade in drugs, making anyone a distributor, has brought an influx of fake drugs coming from markets in Guyana and Barbados. These include the  drug Viagra, Pharmaton capsules (a multi-vitamin with minerals and ginseng) as well as drugs used for the treatment of cardiac conditions, oral contraception, Cancer and HIV. He said the fake Pharmaton capsules originated in Venezuela and contain water, while the fake cardiac drugs do not stabilise patients. Hosein was among several speakers at yesterday’s opening of a two-day conference on “Pharmaceutical Counterfeiting” hosted by CARIRI at the Hilton Trinidad.

This illicit practice involves the deliberate or fraudulent mislabelling of drugs with respect to identity or source. This means, among other things, that the drug does not contain the stated active ingredient or contains active ingredients other than those specified on the label. CARIRI’S chairman,  Professor Emeritus David McGaw, said fake drugs constituted a multi-billion dollar industry. He said with a population of 1.3 million, the fake drug industry in TT is worth about “US$400-$500 million with 40 percent of it going to the Government for use in the health sector.” He said stakeholders needed to formulate a holistic approach to solve the problem, tackling issues such as administrative loopholes, legislative weaknesses and market intelligence.

Hosein said the key to protecting citizens was the effectiveness of regulatory committees under the Health Ministry, such as the Food and Drug Division (FDD). But he noted that the FDD was understaffed and under-equipped and there was a lack of data. Hosein lamented that a profession which was once guided by integrity was now threatened. He called for harsher laws, increased customs activity, proper monitoring and licensing and regulating of distributors.  He said TT was a breeding ground for the industry, and a haven for “lax laws and lack of enforcement.” He said now that pharmacies no longer had exclusive rights to sell drugs, coupled with poor monitoring procedures, some were forced to find the cheapest source of supply.

Hosein said the advent of the “suitcase trade” contributed to the problem, and the resulting influx of drugs from Guyana and Barbados left a lot to be desired. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Edwina Leacock, said the first line of defence was public awareness. She underscored the importance of a collaborative effort to fight the problem. Leacock said health professionals, in particular, had the ethical responsibility to notify clients, colleagues and the authorities about the presence of “these interlopers.”