Grave illness can seriously affect the minds of patients and their families. When someone is diagnosed with a disease as serious as cancer, his or her prevailing hope is to receive proper treatment. In the hands of capable medical professionals, patients never question the medicinal care they receive. We mindlessly take prescription drugs without feeling compelled to check if they are legitimate. However, many Americans are unaware that there are drugs in circulation that are actually fake medicines. Namely, a drug can come in what appears to be the correct packaging but not possess the benefits it promises. According to an article published in TIME yesterday, the extensively prescribed cancer medicine Avastin has been found to have counterfeit batches in its production line. Striking a more disturbing issue, this translates to cancer patients around America potentially taking medication that will offer no relief whatsoever.
The dilemma of counterfeit drugs has been heightened since many of these medicines are now outsourced and produced abroad. In the Avastin case, the tampered shipments were allegedly imported from outside the U.S., raising questions as to whether America should return to manufacturing drugs in the country. While producing offshore could be more efficient financially, the risk of falsely medicating and potentially killing innocent people is not one worth taking. In addition, the issue draws negative attention toward the Food and Drug Administration for taking inadequate measures to prevent substandard medicine from entering hospitals and doctors’ offices. Approximately 80 percent of active ingredients found in these drugs are produced abroad and then imported.
Unfortunately, due to desires to keep medicine cheap, regulation will continue to pose a challenge. Ethically speaking, the decision to properly investigate medicine should be non-negotiable; you can’t put a price on saving a human life. However, higher prices will anger a majority and therefore supercede persistent counterfeit problems affecting a few medical brands. Hopefully, with adequate awareness, publicity and public pressure, authorities will take a greater interest in ensuring patients don’t have to worry whether the medicine they pay for is legitimate.
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