Counterfeit goods, which are duplicated or represented as original products without authority or right, have become prevalent and widespread on the worldwide trade. For example, China has been acknowledged as the top country of making and consuming counterfeits with approximately 20% of counterfeit and pirate products are sold in Chinese market including almost all sectors such as food, apparels, pharmaceuticals, electronics and many others (Phau, I. & Huimin, T., 2009). However, using those illicit products can result in a number of serious problems to health, the economy, and the involvement of organized crime that people should be perceived. Thus, counterfeits should be boycotted.
Using counterfeit healthcare products may pose severe issues to customers’ health. Based on the help of technological advancements and the low cost of making fakes, many counterfeiters produced fake drugs that might have no active ingredients, diluted ingredients, the wrong ingredients, or harmful contaminants such as lead road paint, floor wax, nickel and arsenic (Lechleiter, J., 2012). Consequently, according to the World Health Organization’s estimates (n.d.), “the use of such drugs can prolong treatment periods as patients may not respond as quickly as they should and exacerbate conditions being treated. Treatment with ineffective counterfeit drugs such as antibiotics can lead to the emergence of resistant organisms and may have a deleterious effect on a wide section of the population. In extreme cases, counterfeit drugs may even cause death.” Besides, Roger Bate of the American Enterprise Institute (2012) has estimated that more than 100,000 people died worldwide every year due to using counterfeit medicines. Obviously, the health and safety of p...
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...ror groups – Business – International Herald Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/12/business/worldbusiness/12iht-fake.4569452.html?_r=1& Miller, H. I. (2012). Fake and Flawed medicines Threaten Us All. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/henrymiller/2012/07/25/fake-and-flawed-medicines-threaten-us-all/
Lechleiter, J. (2012). Exposing and Eradicating the Dark World of Fake Pharmaceuticals. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnlechleiter/2012/08/22/exposing-and-eradicating-the-dark-world-of-fake-pharmaceuticals/
World Health Organization (n.d.). General information on counterfeit medicines. Retrieved from http://who.int/medicines/services/counterfeit/overview/en/index1.html
INTERPOL (2003). INTERPOL warms link between counterfeiting and terrorism. Retrieved from http://www.interpol.int/News-and-media/News/2003/PR019
In Melody Peterson’s “Our Daily Meds” , the history of marketing and advertising in the pharmaceutical industry is explored. The first chapter of the book, entitled “Creating disease”, focuses on how major pharmaceutical companies successfully create new ailments that members of the public believe exist. According to Peterson, the success that these drug manufacturers have experienced can be attributed to the malleability of disease, the use of influencial people to promote new drugs, the marketing behind pills, and the use of media outlets.
In Melody Peterson’s “Our Daily Meds” , the history of marketing and advertising in the pharmaceutical industry is explored. The first chapter of the book, entitled “Creating disease”, focuses on how major pharmaceutical companies successfully create new ailments that members of the public believe exist. According to Peterson, the success that these drug manufacturers have experienced can be attributed to the malleability of disease, the use of influencial people to promote new drugs and the efficient usage of media outlets.
United Press International. (2002). Millionaire Pharmacist Admits Diluting Cancer Drugs. In NewsMax.com Wires website. Retrieved July 6, 2011, from http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/2/23/115445.shtml.
“Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the F.D.A. 's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research said people are being harmed and some of the harm is preventable ' ' (Le Fanu, 2014). With millions of drugs on the market, and with multiple drugs just for one ailment, it wouldn’t take much to cause a wrong combination that could cause injury or death. Hospitals across the U.S. reported in 2011 adverse reactions from prescription drugs caused 2.2 million injuries and 106,000 deaths that two-thirds could have been prevented with proper monitoring of prescription drugs. (Bremner,
In the business of drug production over the years, there have been astronomical gains in the technology of pharmaceutical drugs. More and more drugs are being made for diseases and viruses each day, and there are many more drugs still undergoing research and testing. These "miracle" drugs are expensive, however, and many Americans cannot afford these prices.
Sharpe, Katherine. “Medication: The Smart-pill Oversell.” Nature: International Weekly Journal of Science. Nature Publishing Group. 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 7 March 2014.
Consumer attitudes are influenced by social pressure which is inclusive of informative and normative susceptibility (Ang, et al., 2001; Bearden, Netemeyer, & Teel, 1989; Wang, Zhang, & Ouyang, 2005). Normative consumers are more concerned with impressing others and ensuring that their behaviors are based on the expectations of others. Since counterfeiting is an unethical and illegal activity and involvement in such an activity does not project a positive image, therefore normative consumers would have negative attitude towards counterfeit products (Ang, et al., 2001; Lord, Lee, & Choong, 2001; Penz
“According to the General Accounting Office, more than half of the prescription drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) between 1976 and 1985 caused serious side effects that later caused the drugs to be either relabeled or removed from the market. Drugs app...
Rettner, Rachael. "Prescription Drug Problem Sparks Debate Over Solutions." LiveScience.com. LiveScience.com, 21 June 2012. Web. 07 Dec. 2013.
Living in a world where many prefer to believe what is shown to them, rather than doing some of their own research, can lead to consequences. (Figure 1) Some people believe electronic cigarettes are a safer and healthier alternative to the actual cigarette because of how they are advertised. “Because they [e-cigs] deliver nicotine without burning tobacco, e-cigarettes are purported to be safer and less toxic than conventional cigarettes. Despite these claims, there’s still no real data on the effects of e-cigarettes (positive or negative), yet marketing materials still bill them as a healthy choice” (Worthington emphasis mine). Drug advertisements normally show the beneficial side of
Gatty.B (2010). Fighting Fraud US Government cracking down on those who commit healthcare scams “Dermatology Times,” 31 (11)12.Health Source-Consumer Edition
Wolf, M. (2011, June 4). We should declare an end to our disastrous war on drugs. Financial Times. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.consortiumlibrary.org/docview/870200965?accountid=14473
...lawsuits. Informative videos that show interviews of key players that fight to stop the illegal activities include ABC Nightline, ABC: Faking It, and Katie Couric’s segment on counterfeit fashion. It’s comforting to see that there is an awareness that is building. The contribution between eBay, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and the major designers in world is really one of the first steps in spreading attention and understanding of fake of fashion goods. So far, each year of its planned event has found success. Consumers should take the awareness to heart and be proactive in extending it to prevent catastrophes in areas of human creativity and economy. This would also include inhibiting further subsidy of illegal activities. Counterfeiting is an undeclared war and consumers are the only ones who can essentially save the world from its negative impact.
Over the years counterfeiting and piracy has have a negative effect on employment. According to the AFP (Australian Federal Police) the Annual loss of jobs were 100,000 in the EU due to Counterfeiting and 750000 jobs in the United States. The tremendous loss of jobs is increasing rapidly over time which is consequently affecting the world economy. There are a number of reasons as to why this is happening. The first reason has to do with companies and businesses losing revenue which in turn affect employment. These businesses and companies lose revenue due to the counterfeiting of their product. When infringement parties make the counterfeit goods, consumers will most likely be attracted to buying these goods because most likely it would be selling at a much lower price compared to the original. This therefore decreases the demand for this product and therefore means that some of the market shares are being lost from the company. According to an article in the Pacific Business Review International, 25% of market shares are lost due to counterfeiting and piracy in India. Due to the fact that companies lose revenue, this means that they might not be able to maintain the current workforce that they currently posses. This would result in companies cutting jobs and possibly completely eliminating job positions all together. Approximately 2.5 million jobs have
Consumers knowingly purchase counterfeits products for different reasons. According to a study conducted by Swami et al. (2009), half of the respondent of a survey would knowingly buy counterfeited products. Men are more likely to buy pirated CD’s whereas women prefer to buy counterfeited clothing and accessories, that is to say luxury counterfeited products such as a fake Louis Vuitton bag or Chanel clothes for instance. The studies also showed that younger participant are the ones who buy counterfeit products while older believe that counterfeiters should be punished. In addition to this, counterfeited luxury buyers can be classified in two groups; “the wise shopper” that is to say consumers who buy counterfeit comparable to the original one but which is also superior in price. The second group are those who buy counterfeit with a lower price but can be noticed that it is not the original one. (BA, Brand management, lecture notes,