Adulterated medicines

The rampant sale of fake or substandard medicines in this country is literally a matter of life and death. It is a travesty of immense proportions that unscrupulous elements are playing with the lives of patients in such a brazen fashion.

In a welcome initiative The ‘Drugs and Cosmetics Bill, 2023’ previously titled the ‘Drugs Bill, 2022’ was placed in Parliament on Thursday allowing a penalty of Taka 20,000 to life-term imprisonment for different offences.

According to a report published in The Business Post, the proposed law incorporates cosmetics into its jurisdiction. It is initially framed for regulating the import, export, manufacturing and sale of medicines, with provisions for tougher punishments.

The bill proposed life-term imprisonment and a Tk 10 lakh fine as the maximum punishment for manufacturing medicines without registration or for producing fake medicines among others.

This bill aims at stopping the sale of counterfeit, fake and substandard medicines, which is a good piece of news. The sale of these drugs is a threat to public health.

Adulterated and low-quality medicines are being produced and sold in different places of the country, including the capital city, exposing the consumers to serious health hazards.

Medicines cure a person. But when medicines themselves are adulterated they pose a serious threat to life. Apparently, it is difficult to identify spurious medicines because they look as usual. Owners of medicine shops without licenses located in different places of the country, particularly in rural areas, are mainly engaged in selling sub-standard medicines. Counterfeit medicines are sold at comparatively cheap prices.

So, the ignorant and gullible buyers buy those for consumption in good faith and are cheated outright. Adulteration of medicines began in the country a few years ago and this practice is gaining strength with time. There are scores of dishonest traders and others who are controlling the business. Consumers are utterly helpless in the hands of these notorious elements.

According to doctors, the consumption of adulterated medicines may cause havoc. There are incidents of making fake medicines like antibiotics and oral saline in different places in the country, including the capital city. The unearthing of fake medicine factories is making newspaper headlines too. Members of law enforcement agencies seize the factories, arrest some persons responsible, realise fines of varying amounts and that’s all. In some cases, the perpetrators go scot-free after greasing the palms of a section of dishonest members of the law enforcers.

Those responsible for manufacturing fake and substandard drugs need to be hauled up before the law. It is not too difficult for the authorities concerned, aided by law-enforcement officials to crack down on the producers of substandard drugs if the intention is there.

All pharmacies must be warned that if dubious drugs are found on their premises, action will be taken. The public also has a responsibility in this regard; too often people ask salespersons at medical stores to recommend medicines, instead of consulting doctors or qualified pharmacists. Consumers should only buy drugs from reputable medical stores, with the latter supervised by capable pharmacists. The state must ensure that medicines available at public health facilities are of satisfactory quality.

While more well-off segments of society can afford private healthcare and imported medicines, the poor have no option but to turn to the state for healthcare, which is why quality drugs need to be available at public hospitals.