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Counterfeit Drugs

Meaning

Counterfeit drugs are illicitly manufactured pharmaceutical products that are deliberately and fraudulently mislabeled with respect to their identity or source, often containing incorrect ingredients, insufficient or excessive active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), or sometimes no active ingredients at all. These fraudulent medicines pose a significant public health threat, as their lack of quality control and unpredictable composition can lead to therapeutic failure, serious adverse reactions, or even death. Clinical practice requires vigilance to ensure patients receive authentic, regulated, and safe medications from verified supply chains. The global proliferation of these products undermines patient trust and complicates effective disease management.