Counterfeit drugs: the pills that kill
The proliferation of counterfeit drugs on the global market and easy availability via online pharmacies is an increasing problem. The makers of counterfeit drugs have enjoyed and profited from loopholes in a system designed to deliver healthy medicines to those in need. The rising cost of prescription medications and the ubiquitous presence of online and overseas pharmacies means more people than ever are threatened by these counterfeiting operations.The multi-billion-pound global trade in bogus medicines is responsible for an estimated half a million deaths a year. As Europe becomes an ever-more lucrative target for counterfeiters, Eric Clark meets the government agents and pharmaceutical company investigators who are taking the fight to the fakers
Half an hour before dawn, the semi-detached house, like the rest of the silent East Midlands town, is in darkness. Two investigators, search warrant at the ready, approach the front door, while a man with a battering ram takes up position. There has already been a 6am briefing session at the local police station, and the raid has a code name - Operation Mexico.
5 April 2008