|
Prompted by the recent glut of counterfeit medicine cases in the drug market in West Bengal and other parts of the country, major drug makers have started alerting their distribution channel partners about the rising menace and advising them to be vigilant and take caution in the purchase and supply of pharmaceuticals.
Sun Pharma, the largest pharmaceutical company in India, issued one advisory on March 18 cautioning their CFAs and distributors about the rising menace of counterfeit and substandard medicines in the market across the country, and wanted them to support the company’s initiatives to improve their supply chain. On behalf of the company, the advisory was issued by the Sun Pharma Distributors Ltd based in Mumbai. The company wants their collaborating distributors to purchase their products only from their authorised CFAs, and not from other market sources.
It is learnt that the largest pharma player in the country is now concerned with chances of duplicating/black-marketing of their products by some unscrupulous marketing companies. Sun Pharma warns their distributors that purchase of pharmaceuticals from unauthorised sources may comprise counterfeit drugs which will harm the safety of patients. The company has sought full support of their channel partners, and through them, of all the distributors and retailers of their medicines, to maintain the quality of their products in the market.
Further, the company wants the traders to refrain from semi-wholesale businesses including barter of products and undercutting. This will provide chances for an influx of counterfeit products in the pharma supply chain. Similarly, CFAs and distributors are warned that they should not sell products outside the territory of appointment.
As part of awareness about caution against black marketing and fake drugs in the names of company products, the advisory wants the distribution channel partners to propagate the advisory to all chemists and encourage them to purchase medicines from authorised stockists of Sun Pharma. The company further wants their CFAs and distributors to educate the retail chemists about the growing menace of counterfeit drugs in the market and ignore unauthorised suppliers and grey marketing companies who may approach the retailers with excessive discount offers.
In order to prevent the entry of counterfeit drugs into the market and protect the health of the people, Sun Pharma wants their distributors to report to them any kind of malpractices or unethical or criminal mode of business activities connected with their products in the market. The illicit traders may offer abnormally high order volumes, excessive discounts and higher expiry returns, according to the advisory issued by the company.
In the wake of the counterfeit surge in West Bengal, the drug control department has put a hypertension drug manufactured by a popular company under scanner suspecting black marketing. Similarly, there are chances for duplicating the products of all major pharma players by the network of grey marketers, this is the concern of all major pharma companies.
|