Source: O Globo Online - Rio de Janeiro / RJ - 06/10/2010

Agency Brazil

BRASILIA - The National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) seized 53.575 counterfeit and smuggled drugs between January and August this year across the country, in addition to 62,9 tons of unregistered drugs.

In 2009, 53.535 seizures of counterfeit and smuggled products were made. 235 tonnes of medicines were also retained without registration. According to the head of Intelligence at Anvisa, Adílson Bezerra, the problem, which is serious, should be seen as public health. According to him, the sale of prescription drugs has also increased.

- Counterfeiting of medicines migrated into drugstores and pharmacies. When entering, the consumer does not know that he is buying a counterfeit, corrupted, smuggled product, without registration. We have to fight this type of crime - he said.

For the CEO of Anvisa, Dirceu Raposo, the number of seizures recorded this year is high, but it represents the ability of teams from the agency itself and the Federal Revenue Service to articulate and carry out the fight against the parallel drug market.

- The most important message is that the health and anti-counterfeiting authorities are united, working for years and introducing mechanisms to ensure product quality. It is not a problem only in Brazil - he said, referring to European countries and the United States.

Between 2007 and 2010, the operations carried out increased from 135 to 526, with a total of 2 thousand sites inspected and 38% of them closed. The main seizures include 237 boxes of controlled drugs.