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How to spot fake medicines in the market: Simple ways to distinguish real from counterfeit drugs
- •Examine the packaging carefully as genuine medicines have clear text, correct spelling, and high-quality printing, unlike counterfeit ones.
- •Check batch numbers, manufacturing dates, expiry dates, and utilize barcodes or QR codes to verify authenticity with the manufacturer.
- •Look at the color and shape of the medicine; real tablets look flawless, while fake ones often have uneven colors, cracks, or powdering.
- •Ensure the manufacturing company name, address, and specific registration number are correctly mentioned on the packet.
- •Avoid buying medicines sold at unusually low prices from unauthorized sources and always demand a proper purchase receipt.
Key Questions Answered
Genuine medicines feature clear text, correct spellings, and proper company logos, whereas counterfeit packets often have poor print quality, color discrepancies, spelling mistakes, torn packaging, loose foil, or broken bottle seals.
You should check if the batch number, manufacturing date, and expiry date are clearly written in the correct place on the packet, as counterfeit medicines may omit these details entirely. Additionally, you can scan printed barcodes or QR codes to verify information directly on the manufacturer's website.
Counterfeit tablets or capsules often feature uneven, mismatched, excessively lighter or darker colors, and may appear powdered, cracked, or excessively soft with surface stains. For liquid medicines, you should check if powdered substances are suspiciously settling at the bottom of the bottle.
