Beijing: Chinese health experts are warning that counterfeit versions of Indian generics are flooding the black market in China as a record wave of COVID-19 cases fuels demand for antivirals, particularly Pfizer’s Paxlovid and Indian generic versions.
With the huge demand for COVID-19 medication, some fake versions of Indian generics have also entered the market. With Paxlovid in short supply and highly regulated in government clinics, sales of Indian generic versions have ballooned through Chinese E-commerce platforms in the wake of the ending of the “Zero-COVID” policy.
Chinese media outlet Sixth Tone reported, “Chinese laboratories are raising the alarm over a new potential danger to public health amid a massive wave of COVID-19 infections: a growing trade in fake antiviral medication.”
The report said, “Boxes of Paxlovid are now selling for as much as 50,000/- Yuan ($7,200) in the black market, forcing many in China to seek out cheaper alternatives, it is driving a surge in demand for generic versions of the drug produced by Indian manufacturers.
However, laboratory analysis indicates that a large amount of the ‘Indian drugs’ circulating in China are fake.” The report added, all four drugs (Primovir, Paxista, Molnunat, and Molnatris) appear to have been approved for emergency use by the Indian authorities, but are not legal for use in China.” The case is not new in nature; recently there have been reports of people being killed due to consuming Indian cough syrup in Gambia and other African countries. Uzbekistan’s Health Ministry has also reported that 18 children have died after taking a cough syrup manufactured by Indian Pharmaceutical Company Marion Biotech.
Despite the warning echoed around the world, Indian substandard pharma products have been sold under the pretext of being cost effective making vulnerable huge strata of patients relied on Indian medicines. These incidents lay true picture and fragility of Indian Industrialization based on inefficient and substandard products being distributed without taking into account the adverse reactions associated with these products.
This also exposes the claims of India self-branding as “World’s Pharmacy”. World Health Organization, US Food and Drug Administration etc must take strict notice of the criminal negligence of Indian companies and apart from banning Indian products cases must be registered in ICJ to take the perpetrators to task.
Indian Pharmaceutical products if not stopped immediately and a proper quality / standard is not ensured. This may lead to more deaths and catastrophic incidents in future.
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