Supplement manufacturers including virtually all foods and drugs agencies have a major war on their hands. Fake products either locally manufactured or imported have now taken over close on 38% of the global market. The food and drugs agencies firm carried out a survey in 5 of the most leading markets mainly China, London, United States and Europe. Products ranging from pharmaceuticals to beverages, toiletries and patent medicines are being faked. The range is astonishing. Most products especially in the supplement industry carry false labels. Most underground companies illegally produce on a commercial basis well-known brands without any authorization or licence.
The supplement industry is fast crumbling under the weight of this organized crime with many people falling victim to scam and putting their health on the line. This flagrant abuse of copyright is inhibiting the industry faster than before. This kept me wondering - why would some bad-ass companies choose to sell trash to customers without thinking of the danger it may pose to their health. Okay, our focus are on these illegal underground and unknown companies, but I have also seen popular supplement companies been banned for using illegal substances in their products. So, my question is - Are we really safe?
Many dietary supplements that are marketed for weight-loss, for example, are said to actually contain sibutramine, a pharmaceutical drug that was banned in 2009 by the FDA agency. These supplements labels promised "You will lose weight without the use of dangerous chemicals or stimulant, however, that is too good to be true. Unfortunately, these banned supplements are still sold in some retail stores and over the internet illegally. Most supplement companies will never take accountability when things goes wrong. They will include on the label that "the claims made by the manufacturer is not intended to diagnose, threat or prevent any diseases". You can't wrap your head round the meaning. It's not intended or diagnose, treat or prevent - what then is a drug meant for? So if anything happen in the process of taking it, nobody will be held responsible. What is really going on? More so, many drugs regulation system in most countries say the same.
These agencies are not very well regulated, they are receiving a lot of application from manufacturers, they are not subjected to the rigorous safety standard to the vital process so they approve it. By this admission, there would be no need for the FDA or any agencies to even carry out any validation at all in the first place. Maybe it's just me, but it resembles a flam. Medication is approved when it only works on 50% of the people that use it. The supplement industry is an industry that is completely unregulated so you can pretty much get away with anything.
However, I wouldn't totally discourage all these drugs agencies, because some of these agencies have discontinued the use of most over the counter diet pills. The FDA after federal tests, detected contamination with a suspected cancer-causing chemical and traces of a powerful, potentially dangerous prescription drugs. However, I still blame us the customers because most of us are looking for a quick fix so these companies sells products that don't really work. They sell simply because people buy it. A pity, these companies take advantage of people trust, their health conditions. They make millions from the sweat of the customers. Piracy knows that the industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. As pirates they pay no taxes, pay no royalties, and do not invest in research and dissemination.
Fake products are not just bad for business, they can be downright dangerous. There are substantial number of manufactures that produces authentic supplements, still yet many of their supplements are usually imported from the Pacific basin without labelling's. At least many illegal factories are busy Stamping well-known labels on these substandard brands. Nobody can state how many preventable accidents have occurred on account of the fraudulent activities of fake supplement manufacturers. Perhaps hundreds of thousands have died or been hospitalized. Almost two in four of every supplement now on the market is not genuine. The pharmaceutical industry is a goldmine for brand name infringement. It has been estimated that close on 50% of drugs are either fake or substandard.
Most counterfeit drugs on the market with copy of well-known brands name are variously misspelt on the packaging and the colour of the packing also varies to some extent. Some of these products are extremely dangerous. Particularly callous are imitations of those drugs recommended for diabetic patients and antibiotics. So pervasive is the presence of fake products in these areas that many patients die, leaving bewildered doctors unable to understand why there was no positive response to therapy.
Faking other people products is no now just a matter of success or failure in business terms; it's becoming a matter of life or death.
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