Turkey to investigate claims of fake cancer drugs

Turkish Health Ministry has launched an investigation into claims that fake cancer drugs are being smuggled abroad from Turkey, stressing that Turkey has trusted monitoring system of drugs, Today's Zaman reported.

A statement released by the Health Ministry on Thursday said Turkey's Drug Monitoring System (?TS) is one of the most trusted systems in the world and is monitoring the drugs from producers to consumers in every step.

The statement came a day after Reuters reported that fake versions of the multibillion-dollar cancer drug Avastin were purchased in Turkey before being traded by middlemen across the Middle East and Europe to the United States.

Milad Kamal Ayad, who works on commission for Egyptian firm SAWA, told Reuters he sourced 167 packets of Avastin from Turkey, via a Syrian businessman also based in Egypt, for Swiss-based Hadicon AG.

The drug, found to be counterfeit, eventually reached clinics in California, Texas and Illinois. It contained no life extending medicine or any other biotech drug, Roche said on Monday, but instead contained salt, starch and a variety of chemicals.

The case involving Roche's top-selling cancer treatments has underscored how even expensive injectable medicines, not just pills like Viagra and Lipitor, are at risk from criminal counterfeiters.

It also shows how difficult it is to trace the source of such counterfeits as they pass from one supplier to another.

The statement said drugs that are under the radar of the ?TS are sold only in pharmacies and that the alleged fake drugs are not related to those sold in the pharmacies.

The Health Ministry also said the inspection department of the ministry has already started investigating after it is revealed that the fake drugs are being sold from the Internet.

The statement said the Health Ministry also asked the producer of cancer drug company to seriously follow the incident.


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