China releases the names of 33 counterfeit drugs in circulation

China released the names of thirty-three counterfeit medications on the loose.

The State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) disclosed on August 17 that thirty-three counterfeit medicines are circulating in the country and urged local and regional governments to vigilantly monitor local pharmacies and medical institutions for counterfeit copies of trademarked medications.

Tongrentang (TRT), a prestigious pharmacy in Beijing, found two kinds of counterfeit medicines with the names “TRT eye clearance” and “TRT ear gold.”

“Some customers … came to our store to buy these two kinds of medicines, but I had never heard of them before, which confused me. Later, I found out they were fake,” an anonymous worker in Xuanwu district’s TRT told the Global Times. “All the medicines sold in our store have to be registered and approved by the SFDA,” She added.

Lu Hua, a pharmacist in Jiangsu Provincial People’s Hospital told the Global Times that there is usually no production date, production batch number, or manufacturer on the package of fake medicines.

The colors, shapes and qualities of fake medicines were also quite different from authentic ones, she added.

“I suggest the customers open the bottles to check the medicines immediately after they buy them. Besides, I think patients had better buy medicines at hospitals, because some informal pharmacies would like to sell fake medicines to more earn money,” Lu said.