Dr. Muhammad Mahtab Hossain Mazed

Fake and adulterated medicines are being sold everywhere from cities to villages. Even though such drugs are being sold openly, the administration is not taking any effective measures. As a result, the masterminds of this misdeed remain out of reach. Therefore, the drug business of the country is now going out of control, where health is the root of all happiness. Good health requires health awareness, doctors and medicine.

And medicine is the only controller of illness. Currently the pharmaceutical industry in Bangladesh is having a better time than any time in the past. The pharmaceutical industry of Bangladesh is capable of producing and marketing all the drugs required by the country. Moreover, it plays a big role in the country's economy.

The demand and use of medicines produced in Bangladesh is increasing in the world market. Among all the good news, when the demand for medicines produced in Bangladesh is increasing in the global market, the opposite picture is in the country's medicine market. Adulterated and fake medicines are being produced in the domestic market, which is causing the pharmaceutical industry and medical system to become increasingly unstable. Some of the reputed drug companies and so called Unani and Herbal drug companies are involved in manufacturing counterfeit drugs.

There are about three hundred Unani medicine licenses in the country – which is by no means more than a dozen. Under the cover of these so-called organizations, fake drugs for various complex diseases including gastric, cancer, diabetes, kidney are being released in the market in the exact 'real' packaging. Seeing that it is very difficult for consumers to check whether it is genuine or fake. Medicines from reputed and well-known pharmaceutical companies are more likely to be counterfeited. Counterfeit medicines are usually produced in factories like Rugan or Unani-Herbal. Counterfeit syndicates produce these fake medicines in the night shift. These adulterated drugs are delivered to some pharmacies listed in the cycle in Dhaka through courier service from the factory. Some unscrupulous pharmacies based in Mitford are involved in the counterfeiting ring. From there, these fake drugs are spreading across the country. Governments are losing revenue and people's lives are at risk due to the rampant trade in spurious drugs. The Drugs and Cosmetics Act 2023 makes the offense of manufacturing and marketing counterfeit drugs non-bailable. But it has no application.

> Soylab in adulterated drugs Different companies market drugs with the same generic name, but each has a different price. Those concerned say that due to lack of supervision, low quality medicines are being sold.

According to the Department of Drug Administration and related sources, now 241 companies are making about 30,000 brands of drugs in the country. Any drug must be marketed with the permission of the Department of Drug Administration before being marketed. But once marketed, there is no further quality control of that drug. Even in this opportunity, many reputed companies reduce the quality of medicines.

A pharmacy owner, who did not want to be named, said, "Big and famous companies have high drug prices." But another company sells the same drug at a lower price. That's why many pharmacy owners see the prescription and change the brand by keeping the generic name. Profit is big for them, not value.

Those concerned said that the work of the Department of Drug Administration is to collect drugs from the market and check the quality. But their laboratory capacity is low. Many companies take advantage of this opportunity. Due to lack of manpower and capacity, the authorities do not give importance to the matterTherefore, if the government is active in this regard, it will be able to play an effective role in preventing counterfeiting. The market of fake and adulterated drugs cannot be stopped People's confidence in medicine and medical system will decrease day by day. The health sector may be at riskAccording to the World Health Organization, 15 percent of the drugs sold in the markets of developing countries are of low quality, adulterated or fake. According to a report by the National Patient Welfare Society, fake or low-quality drugs worth about 1.5 billion rupees are sold in the country every year. Which is about 20 percent of total drug sales.

Finally, I want to say that medicine is necessary for disease. But recently some 'medicines' have become the cause of disease. Counterfeit drugs are being manufactured in different parts of the country including the capital. The unscrupulous traders are spreading it in the remote areas of the country by making factories. Many pharmacy owners are knowingly handing over adulterated medicines to patients. There is no visible action of the Department of Drug Administration in this regard. Therefore, I have been hearing about the death of adulterated and counterfeit drugs almost every day. What is the way to avoid it? One solution to this could be immediate drug companies setting up their own showrooms across the country. So that people can buy required quality medicines directly from the company and this will create lot of employment opportunities in the country. Pharmacies all over the country should be registered with the drug department and they should buy drugs directly from the drug company at a fixed price and sell them compulsorily according to the prescription of the doctor, without the drug company directly buying the drug from the wholesale market, no pharmacy can sell ithave to doIf the concerned authorities take measures in this regard, common people will be able to buy medicines safely and confidently. The market of fake and adulterated medicines cannot be stopped, people's trust in medicine and medical system will decrease day by day. The health sector may be at riskTherefore, in these cases, the laws should be changed and stricter punishments should be introduced, so that no one dares to produce and market counterfeit drugs.

The writer is a, columnist and researcher Founder and Chairman, Jatiya Rogi Kallyan Society