A recent study on fake medicines conducted by Sanofi in six countries in Asia – China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam— demonstrates that:
- 67% consider fake medicines to be dangerous;
- 55% to 76 % declare they would not be able to distinguish a real drug from a fake one;
- 39% have bought medicines on the internet, mainly to save time and money, though only 58% stated they were aware of risks.
According to this study, compared with citizens of Europe and the USA, people living in Asia appear more aware of dangers of fake medicines. However, they have a greater tendency to buy medicines online, which contributes to them being more exposed to risks. You can find a comparison of the three studies here.
Overall, the three Sanofi survey results confirm that fake medicines are a global issue and that that stronger awareness and prevention efforts are needed to fight this problem.
For more information, read about the survey, download the related infographic and visit Sanofi’s website.
