Fake medicine sale rampant,cops helpless

Gulfaraz Makani,the director of the EIPR,said: “According to our study,this industry works with the help of a network. The chemists first procure a manufacturing license which is not difficult for them as they are pharmacists. Then they usually use small-time factories to manufacture these products.”

He added,“Fake drugs have approximately the same composition as that of the original medicines. After the product gets a new name,label and packaging,then it is sold on a low scale.”

The packaging and labelling of the fake drugs is done with an objective to deceive customers and to make them buy fake drugs in place of original,said the EIPR analysts.

Makani said,“Fake drugs sell more as over the counter medicines as customers many a times do not check the expiry date of the medicines and buy them believing to be original.”

Police Inspector K S Savani said,“Recently,some traders were arrested for manufacturing fake Vicks products. However,11 fake varieties of Vicks products are sold in the state. In fact,fake medicines sell more than the original ones.”

The police said it is difficult to keep track of the business of fake medicines as some dealers have their wholesale business or drug stores where these drugs are easily sold. Secondly,this business has also flourished in small towns and industrial areas,they said.