Warning over counterfeit medicines

The Irish Patients' Association (IPA) has warned pharmacists, wholesalers and patients against putting themselves at risk of buying counterfeit medicines.

Patients were being put in danger by the global trade in counterfeit drugs, which had risen to €35 billion a year, according to IPA chairman Stephen McMahon, and patient safety was being compromised when pharmacists or wholesalers bought medicines from unknown sources.

Mr McMahon was speaking at the launch of a European report on patients' experiences of counterfeit medicine. A survey involving 236 patient advocacy groups across Europe found 20 per cent of groups had received reports from patients who had received counterfeit medicine.

The survey by British-based patient advocacy organisation Together4Health also found that 80 per cent of patients thought pharmacists should not be allowed to buy medicine from any source they wished and 60 per cent said pharmacists should only buy medicines from accredited suppliers.