Combating Counterfeit Medicine

Identify those involved in manufacturing and distributing counterfeit medicines to facilitate preventative action.

Work proactively with Law Enforcement to prevent counterfeit Pfizer medicines from reaching patients

Pfizer has prevented over 302 million counterfeit doses from reaching patients since 2004.

• Every time you take a counterfeit medicine, you are putting your health and quite possibly your life at risk. Because counterfeit medicines are not manufactured in a controlled environment by an approved and reputable manufacturer, there is no way to be sure of its safety or efficacy. 

• At best, when you take a counterfeit medicine, nothing will happen, and you may not get sick or injured from taking the counterfeit. However, there is also a real possibility that the counterfeit does not contain the active ingredient, depriving you of the therapeutic benefit your doctor expects, which may delay your treatment or recovery, possibly irreversibly. 

• In some cases, the counterfeit medicine contains the wrong active pharmaceutical ingredient or additional harmful ingredient(s), which could jeopardize your heath, or even kill you.   

• Authentic medicines are manufactured safely, by trained personnel, in clean facilities, with quality control testing performed throughout the process, to assure the consistency and safety of the product, which in turn ensures that you are receiving the treatment that the medicine is supposed to deliver. 

• Currently, the most serious threat posed to patients is ordering medicines over the Internet, including through unsafe channels like social media, that could expose buyers to counterfeits. 

• The danger in ordering medicines from unapproved online sources is the lack of transparency as to the true location of the supposed “pharmacy” and authenticity of the medicines they dispense. There is also a risk of financial fraud and scams or identity theft when attempting to order medicines from illicit online sources. 

• For example, in the US, it is possible to safely order your medications from an online source: you can verify the online pharmacy through the NABP’s “Buy-Safely” program.  In addition, if the website’s address has the top-level domain “pharmacy” at the end of the address, the website has been verified by NABP.  For example – www.caremark.pharmacy has been verified by the NABP. 

• Counterfeit Pfizer products have been confirmed in at least 116 countries.* 

• Since 2004, Pfizer Global Security has partnered with Law Enforcement Agencies around the world to prevent at least 302 million counterfeit doses from reaching patients. (Pfizer Products Only)* 

• To assist law enforcement in preventing counterfeit Pfizer Medicines from reaching patients, Pfizer Global Security has provided product training to authorities from 164 countries.* 

• However, it is not just Pfizer whose medicines are being counterfeited. Based on Pharmaceutical Security Institute (PSI) data, counterfeit medicines have been confirmed in 153 countries. 

*Source: Pfizer Global Security

• In developed countries, such as Canada, the United States, Australia, and many of the European Union it is very unlikely that you will receive a counterfeit medicine from your domestic brick and mortar pharmacy. 

• In some cases, patients have noticed a different taste, consistency, or appearance of medicines that are later identified as being counterfeit, or they may have a different reaction to the counterfeit drug. 

• However, in more cases, many consumers may not know that the medicines they’ve purchased are counterfeits. That’s why it’s important to purchase prescription medicine from a legitimate pharmacy and pharmacist with whom you are familiar.

• Contact your pharmacist, doctor, or us (1-800-438-1985) if you suspect or have questions about your medication. 

• Avoid websites that do not require a valid prescription and those that sell prescription medications merely by completing an online questionnaire. 

• Do not use social media as a mechanism by which to order prescription drugs. 

• Share your knowledge with family and friends. 

Global Security protects Pfizer’s product life-cycle supply chain and associated manufacturing and research facilities by means of intensive physical security risk mitigation standards and assessments. Our best in industry physical security standards and assessment program focused on proprietary and third-party partner facilities ensures robust physical security preparedness, securing our colleagues and facilities while ultimately safeguarding company products for Pfizer’s patients.