And you thought we were in denial when it comes to dealing with counterfeit prescription medicines.
Check this out —
In Moscow, Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov stressed the need to “ban the flow of medicines into retail without using technologies that protect medicines from counterfeiting.” Speaking during a meeting of United Russia Duma deputies and President Vladimir Putin, Gryzlov said legislators would clean up the pharmaceuticals market in the fall.
Get that? Legislators will get it done without technology.
Rooting out counterfeit medicines is “absolutely not a matter of technology,” said Veniamin Monblit, research director at Comcon, a research company.
Absolutely not a matter of technology? That’s some research company.
“The equipment for manufacturing medicine is expensive and complex. It cannot be installed at a dacha or in some shed,” Monblit said.
Oh really? Would you like to see some pictures?
In Russia, according to Monblit, counterfeit medicines are sometimes produced at the same plants that make legal medicines. “It’s a matter of catching them and closing them down,” he said.
Thanks for the clarification.
According to the Moscow Times, the making or selling counterfeit medicines is not currently considered a criminal offense under the law.
Note to Gryzlov and Monblit — your copies of “Coincidence or Crisis” are on the way, courtesy of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest.
(Comrades, you can also download the book at www.cmpi.org — but that would require using … technology.)
