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Azerbaijan Still Faces Problem of Fake Medicines
Health Ministry does not guarantee security of products bought in drug stores
Diana Isayeva
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| An employee of the Center of Analytical Examination of Medicines in Baku is preparing to incinerate what the center says are fake medications (photo courtesy Center of Analytical Examination of Medicines) |
Sometimes cosmetics and other goods as well as skin care products can be bought in the underground passage at Besh Mertebe in Baku . The cosmetics seller, Ziya, has a big assortment of skin care products, some of which are certified and recommended by a fictitious Doctor Laura. The salesman said that his products are very effective and are in great demand among his customers.
“You can trust the firm because the products sell very well and our shop has had a relationship with the distributors for a long time. We sell about five products a day that are made by this firm and this proves the quality of this product,” Ziya said.
On the box of one skin care product, that claims it can help repair cuticles and nails, it says it was made in Thailand, but the bar code indicates it is manufactured by a company in France. Another box’s bar code is not assigned to any country in the world. Eyub Huseynov, the head of the Union of Free Consumers, said the products bought in the underground passage have not passed through state control and were, probably, delivered illegally. Huseynov added that at a minimum 30% of products that are sold in Azerbaijan, are fakes.
Dozens of containers are delivered to customs by ships and trains. Huseynov says it is difficult to distinguish fake medicines from authentic ones. He adds that the trademark is the same but the fakes may not have the same ingredients as the real medicine.
Polad Hajibalayev, a leading expert at the Center of Analytical Examination of Medicines, a part of the Ministry of Health, said that Boromed, which has been sold in the underground passage, is a skin care product. It is made according to ISO (International Organization for Standardization) international standards – which are standards for cosmetics and food products, but not for medicines. Hajibalayev said the medicine entered the local market illegally, based on the labeling which says the product is intended for sale only in the territory of Russia.
Hajibalayev said the products, which are intended for treatment of skin diseases, have not been tested on animals and there are no guarantees of safety during their use. He says animal testing determines the product’s toxicity. The label on the product called Heel Balm claims that it is a pure and natural product, but Hajibalayev said this is not a natural product, because, according to the label, it contains 25% of the chemical Urea. The product is not suitable for use, Hajibalayev says.
The World Health Organization confirms that animal testing is the usual practice to check whether products is safe for human use.
Another skin care product recommended by Doctor Laura is not allowed to be sold in the West, but Hajibalayev says this product is readily available in the developing world. These products must be examined in the same way as pharmaceutic ones. The products are not controlled and they could be sold in local drug stores, because these products are not medicines.
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| An incineration at the Center of Analytical Examination of Medicines in Baku destroys what is described as fake and expired medicines. (Photo courtesy the Center of Analytical Examination of Medicines) |
Hajiblayev said any product must be tested on animals to reveal any undesirable effects.
Ragima, a pharmacist who works in a shop in Sabail district of Baku called Oguz Two, was asked to look at some of the skin care products purchased in the underground passage. After looking at them, she determined they were medicines, not comestics. “During my whole practice (about 7 years) I have never seen such products and would not recommend them to patients,” she said.
Abulfaz Abdulzade, the director of the Center of Analytical Examination of Medicines – a part of the Ministry of Health, said “Each medicine is inspected and registered by the state. Our laboratory is regarded as well-equipped on the CIS territories,” Abdulzade said. He added that the WHO monitors the equipment and that the equipment corresponds to European standards. He says medicines must be registered in one other country besides Azerbaijan and only after that are they to be allowed into Azerbaijan.
Abdulzade said that ninety-eight percent of all medicines for sale in Azerbaijan have passed through a preliminary examination by the Center of Analytical Examination of Medicines. In early 2008 parliament approved an amendment to the Criminal Code, which carries a criminal penalty for incorrect storage and illegal importation of medicines. Beginning March 1 of this year only medicines registered by the state are supposed to be imported. The Center has opened a hotline, which is directly connected to the computer database containing information about all medicines available in the territory of the republic. If a person has questions about the quality of a medicine they have purchased, he or she can call the hotline number 596-0712. When we called the hotline to ask about the products bought in the underground passage, hotline operators were unable to provide any information.
Nizami Agayev , a department head at the Center of Analytical Examination of Medicines said that during the first six months of this year the center destroyed nearly three-thousand medicines, slightly more than two-thousand of them had not been certified by the state and the nearly 800 of the medicines had expiration dates that had expired.
He says the inspections were carried out monthly by a team of 18 inspectors. He added that in the first six months of 2008, the inspectors checked 1,019 pharmacies in Azerbaijan . Agayev said that 283 pharmacies were closed because of rules violations. Abulfaz Abdulzade, the director of the center, says the destroyed medicines antibiotics, vitamins, analgesics and hormonal medicines.
Huseynov, the head of the Union of Free Consumers, says the situation has not changed at the drug stores even though the Health Ministry is taking measures to prevent the spread of fake medicines. He says fake medicines are still smuggled and the main reason is the lack of a policy for consumers. In July 2008, he says, one consumer called his organization and gave several different prices for the same medicine. Non-fixed price for the same medicine shows the possibility of medicines falsification.
Huseynov also said that the law on goods and services is violated and 90% of products don’t have Azerbaijani labeling, which he says, calls their quality into question.
WHO officials said the government of Azerbaijan actively cooperates with the international organizations in the struggle against fake medicines. In 2006, WHO launched a program called IMPACT (International Medical Products Anti counterfeit Taskforce), to target and eradicate sales of fake drugs.
WHO officials also said that the Center of Analytical Examination of Medicines is also a member of a network of CIS countries that work to control the spread of fake medicines. The program is called LEKSET – which means Medicine Network.
The WHO official said the battle against contraband and fake medicines is on-going, but for it to be more effective it will be necessary to involve law enforcement and military structures in this struggle.
To read this article published in a Russian language newspaper in Baku, click here!
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