spot the fake

15
“Phake: The deadly world of falsified and substandard medicines” Spo t the fak e

Upload: aei

Post on 18-Dec-2014

1.284 views

Category:

Health & Medicine


5 download

DESCRIPTION

Roger Bate, author of the new book, “Phake: The Deadly World of Falsified and Substandard Medicines,” has found some incredibly realistic -- and deadly -- fake medicines. Which are real and which are phony? See if you can tell the difference.

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Spot the fake

“Phake: The deadly world of falsified and substandard medicines”

Spot the fake

Page 2: Spot the fake

Just four years ago, 149 Americans died after using contaminated heparin, a blood-thinning drug. The discovery of the fake cancer drug Avastin in three U.S. states in March and April revived concerns over drug safety in America. Since 80 percent of American medicines contain foreign ingredients, it is critical to understand where dangerous medicines come from and how they traverse the globe.

After seven years of investigations, Roger Bate, author of the new book, “Phake: The Deadly World of Falsified and Substandard Medicines,” has found some incredibly realistic fakes. Which are real and which are phony? See if you can tell the difference.

Page 3: Spot the fake

Thaitanzunate artesunateCan you figure out which box of this anti-malarial drug is real and which is fake?

Spot the fake

Page 4: Spot the fake

Thaitanzunate artesunate

If you said yes, you’re wrong. There are no distinctive marks to tell real from fake. The only way to know is to test the drug itself with lab equipment.

“Phake: The deadly world of falsified and substandard medicines”

Page 5: Spot the fake

PlavixHeart medication taken by millions worldwide.

Spot the fake

Page 6: Spot the fake

Plavix

Plavix pills are engraved with the number ‘75’ on them. The fake one, with shallower indentation and a sharper edge, is on the left. The real one, which has deeper indentation, is on the right.

“Phake: The deadly world of falsified and substandard medicines”

Page 7: Spot the fake

Spot the fake

What could be wrong with either of these boxes of Artesunat, an anti-malarial drug?

Page 8: Spot the fake

Artesunat

It’s hard to tell in person between a real and fake hologram. But when photographed, the real hologram, like the one on the bottom, is much more colorful and readable.

“Phake: The deadly world of falsified and substandard medicines”

Page 9: Spot the fake

CiprofloxacinCiprofloxacin is a commonly used antibiotic.

Spot the fake

Page 10: Spot the fake

Ciprofloxacin

In this case, phony Cipro can only be distinguished by the lack of a hologram on the back side of the box, as noted on the bottom right.“Phake: The deadly world of falsified and substandard medicines”

Page 11: Spot the fake

ArtefanCompare the box of Artefan, an antimalarial drug, on the left against the one on the right. Which is real?

Spot the fake

Page 12: Spot the fake

Artefan

A cruel trick. There is no way to know the difference between these two boxes without testing the pills inside.“Phake: The deadly world of falsified and substandard medicines”

Page 13: Spot the fake

PlavixPlavix is produced by Bristol-Meyers Squibb and Sanofi Pharmaceuticals. Do you know which directions are accurate?

Spot the fake

Page 14: Spot the fake

Plavix

There are actually two clues here to the real drug label. Notice the difference in coloring and accents in the text. The darker blue label above with accented vowels is real. The lighter blue without the accents is fake.

“Phake: The deadly world of falsified and substandard medicines”

Page 15: Spot the fake

Learn more

In his new book, “Phake: The Deadly World of Falsified and Substandard Medicines,” Roger Bate explores the underground trade in illegal medicines that kills over 100,000 people per year and supplants billions of dollars of real products. “Phake” is a fascinating firsthand account of this illegal industry — unearthing a complex web of criminal traders and corrupt officials — and an incisive academic and policy analysis with practical implications.