New research shows that Europeans fuel 10.5 billion-euro illicit medicines market

One of the largest investigations of its kind estimates the counterfeit medicines market in Europe to be worth more than 10.5 billion euros ($14.29 billion) every year. The research was undertaken by Nunwood on behalf of global drugs behemoth Pfizer and involved 14,000 men and women from 14 countries across Europe. The research was undertaken between October 27 and November 8, 2009.

Until now putting a value on the size of the European counterfeit medicines market has been difficult. However, the 'Cracking Counterfeit Europe' research commissioned by Pfizer reveals a massive black market economy generated by counterfeit medicines. This comes just weeks after Gunter Verheugen, Vice President of the European Commission, announced that 34 million fake tablets had been seized on European borders in just two months. The number of counterfeit medicines uncovered at European Union borders has increased from 560,598 articles in 2005 to 4,081,056 in 2007; a seven-fold increase over two years.

The new research shows how one in five of the 14,000 people surveyed (21%), equating to 77 million people in the total population, admitted to buying prescription-only medicines from illicit sources. Worryingly, the results suggest millions are turning to the internet to buy medicines that should be prescribed by a health care professional - even though it has been estimated that between 50% and 90% of medicines bought from on-line sources are fake.