How To Spot Fake Medicine At Home?

It is estimated that around 10-15% of the medicines sold in India are likely to be fake or counterfeit

It is shocking to know that medicines are being faked, but it is the truth. There have been multiple cases of fake medicines and contaminated and mislabeled drugs being seized by police and other government agencies. Weak laws such as max imprisonment of just three years are one of the key reasons why criminals continue to indulge in manufacturing fake medicines.

A higher jail term is possible only when the patient dies due to the fake medicine. But such cases are often difficult to prove. Hence, the criminals involved usually get away and even get bail quite easily. Even if you are buying medicines from a reliable retailer or even online, it is better to do some basic checks. Let us take a look at how to spot fake medicines at home.

Check the packaging

The fake medicine manufacturer is most likely to use old machines to package the drugs. As such, medicine strips / syrup bottles produced in such machines are likely to have some quality issues. For example, the printed text could be blurry or the ink could be spread out. You can easily check the anomalies with a cheap magnifying glass. Even magnifying apps are easily available.

A genuine medicine packet will have all the information printed clearly even when the font used may be quite small. You can also check mistakes in spelling to identify fake medicines. Since the fake medicine manufacturer will likely use cheap quality ink, there will also be a color mismatch in the branding elements.

To identify fake medicines, you can observe the edges of the medicine strip and stickers. Genuine medicines will have uniform cuts and the edges will be smooth. In comparison, fake medicine strips  may appear inconsistent and have other abnormalities.

Also make sure that all the important information such as batch number, manufacturing date, expiry date, manufacturer details and manufacturing license number are clearly mentioned. If such information is missing or the print is smudged and unreadable, it could be fake medicine.

Examine the medicine

Fake medicines are likely to have inconsistencies since they are often manufactured using old, scrapped machines. You can view the texture and also get a feel with your fingers. You can also see under a magnifying glass to identify any blots or rough or uneven surfaces. If you have been using a genuine version of the medicine earlier, it will become easier to spot the fake medicine by doing a side-by-side comparison.

Many genuine medicines come with unique markings on the tablets and capsules. This may be missing on the fake medicines. Fake medicines may also have different colors, as compared to genuine ones that you may be using earlier.

You can also perform a smell test to identify fake medicines. Genuine medicines, especially tablets, usually do not have any strong smell. But in the case of a fake medicine, it could have an unusual odor. You can also put the tablet in warm water to see how it dissolves. If the tablet does not dissolve properly, crumbles unevenly or leaves unusual residue, it could indicate a fake medicine.

Check medicine’s effectiveness

If the medicine is not producing the desired results, it could point to a fake medicine. Especially when you had experienced good results with the same medicine earlier. In such cases, you should immediately consult your doctor.

Contact CDSCO

Please note that all the methods described above are not foolproof. These are indicative and can be used as a first step to get a basic idea. To prove that a medicine is truly fake, you probably have to get it checked in a certified laboratory. You can contact the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (cdsco.gov.in) to understand how to proceed in such matters. You can also approach NABL-accredited private labs for testing potentially fake medicines.