The Jakarta Post reported recently that Indonesia remains a
counterfeit medicines hotspot. Distribution is though both the Internet and
also in pharmacies. “It is believed that these counterfeit drugs enter the
pharmacies through freelance drugs salespeople.” said Indonesian Pharmacists
Association (IAI) secretary-general Nurul Falah.
Research sponsored by Pfizer in the capital and
surrounding cities as well as East Java and North Sumatra showed the wide
availability of counterfeits. It focused on Pfizer's drug sildenafil (an
erectile dysfunction drug usually sold as Viagra,) They analysed sales at
drugstores, pharmacies, sidewalk stalls and via the Internet. Of 518 tablets
found in 157 outlets some 45 % turned
out to be counterfeit. They also identified
Jakarta's Pramuka Market a well known source of fake drugs.
This is consistent with IP Komodo's understanding.
Counterfeit pharmaceuticals are either made locally or sometimes imported;
distribution is via wholesale markets like Pasar Pramuka, then through roving
salesmen, on motorbikes, who sell their wares to pharmacies and medicine shops
throughout cities. Despite being a regulated industry pharmacies themselves do
not always observe rules, such as having a pharmacist present. They find no
problem sourcing from roving salesmen.
The Department of Health officers that regulate pharmacies have made
some efforts to investigate them, but few sanctions are ever given.
But the real problem is the scale of supply end in the
wholesale markets where criminal elements rule the fake drugs industry. For
this only police investigations will have any effect and unfortunately police
IPR raids have all but ceased in Indonesia.
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