Lethal medicine sold in broad daylight

[DJKeefy]

As a consequence of the security vacuum and the absence of law prevailing since the revolution that unseated former strongman Hosni Mubarak, the sale of phoney, potentially lethal drugs on the streets have become on the rise in public, crowded places. These products can threaten people's lives and their open sale reflects the negligence and dilatory approach of the authorities concerned.

According to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS), around LE35-40 million are being spent annually on these counterfeit drugs.

Dr Eman el-Ayoty, a researcher at the Egyptian Centre for Economic Studies, said that Egypt has approximately seven per cent of worldwide fake drugs and the country tops the list of countries where back-street factories are prevalent.

Sauna belts, medical patches for back, chest and bone aches, painkillers and aphrodisiacs are the main drugs sold in these street ‘pharmacies’. Salespeople find populous places like Ataba Square and 26th July Street in downtown Cairo suitable environments to sell their bogus, deadly medicines.

Their products of unknown sources are manufactured either in the back-street factories or imported.

A 15-year-old trader, hiding aphrodisiacs in CDs of English and Arabic action films, told Al-Akhbar daily newspaper that a box of drugs sells at LE40, for example, and contains only one blister pill pack. "Some people on low incomes buy just one or two tablets. One tablet costs LE4," he added.

Another salesperson at 26th July Street said that he sells one package of aphrodisiacs at LE100 while sauna belts, which he admitted are useless, are sold at LE20.

Some traders are justifying working in this infamous profession by saying that they are helping the poor who are suffering from soaring prices, the continuing falling of the pound against the dollar and climbing unemployment rates.

Dr Ahmed Oqeil, the assistant secretary general of the Pharmacists' Association, demanded that supervisory authorities have to take the helm in combating this alarming malpractice that is threatening thousands of lives. He also warned against buying drugs of unknown origin and which are inconsistent with international standards.

"We have made reports to the Ministry of Health several times about this kind of illegal drug trafficking and the necessity of arresting whoever trades those drugs. But it has never responded. However, the association will exert maximum effort to put an end to such a situation that endangers Egyptians' lives," he added.

Dr Oqeil asserted that the main culprit behind the upsurge in counterfeit drugs is the excessive manufacturing of drugs in the "stairwell factories." Moreover, people are resorting to such drugs because of their meager prices compared to the skyrocketing prices of trustworthy drugs, but they are not aware of their profound potential danger for their lives," he stated.

Dr Oqeil went on to say that the practice is not just restricted to the streets. It has become so prevalent that some pharmacies are selling unregistered drugs and the crisis can only be resolved, in Dr Oqeil's opinion, if the Ministry of Health has registered all drugs.

"Sound and effective plans and programmes have to be enforced immediately to combat trafficking of bogus medicines. The plans should involve supervising custom outlets through which drugs pass in addition to banning drug trading on the Internet," he concluded.

Source: http://213.158.162.45/~egyptian/index.p ... s&id=29123

[LovelyLadyLux]

What is a sauna belt? I've never heard of this.........???

[Chocolate Eclair]

Its all well and good the government telling people of this, should not they be doing something about it????

[LovelyLadyLux]

What really does any government do when people start selling illegal items? What can they do?

[Dusak]

What is a sauna belt? I've never heard of this.........???

According to Top Movie adverts its a specially constructed wide belt that you wear 24/7. Its a magical devise that creates a similar range of weight loosing and health benefits that you would receive from attending a true sauna but without the steam and someone sitting next to you in such close proximity that you have to walk out the room together as you've become welded to each other. You just sweat those pounds off as you merrily wobble your way through life. It cures back ache, collects gallons of sweat and reduces that fat enshrouded waist line as friends and family look on in amazement. 150Le. Personalty I think it is made of a special bore- constrictor type material that slowly squeezes you thinner giving the impression that it works as all the models demonstrating it seemed to be all suffering from Marty Feldman syndrome as their eyes slowly became forced from their sockets.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Thanks for the explanation D.......never heard of one of these before and now that I have heard of it the mind boggles with visions of Marty F wearing one and all the skinny skinny models with buggy eyes.......