According to the head of Global Security for the pharmaceutical company Pfizer David Shore, counterfeit drugs sold over the internet are usually of higher value and smaller in size. He also notes that the profits available from counterfeit prescriptions are greater than those in the illegal drug market.
The Irish Patient's Association (IPA), which organized the conference in Dublin, believe that with the growing problem of counterfeit drugs becoming more available through websites on the internet, it is important to not only look at the toll the trade is taking on the pharmaceutical business, but the significant danger such drugs pose to the public's health and safety.
Stephen McMahon, chairman of the IPA, says, "Ireland has benefited greatly from the presence of the pharmaceutical industry and as a result the impact of counterfeit medicines on the Irish economy is substantial," according to the Irish Times Online.
"We need to ensure co-operation between government, the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare professionals, An Garda Siochana, customs, distributors, patients' organizations and also the public."
According to the World Health Organization, almost 10 percent of the global medicine supply chain is counterfeit, in a trade worth over $46 billion a year.
