Seven hundred people have been indicted in less than a year, the last person in Sicily 20 days ago; 3 million euros worth of pillole di Viagra e farmaci dimagranti generici have been confiscated, all bought online for unbelievably cheap prices, without a doctor’s prescription and all entered Italy by post through the postal hubs in Milano. This is the first real assessment of the drugs situation in Italy since the launch of the campaign to stop illegal medicines from passing through the Italian borders. The Milanese antifraud department and the Italian Customs Agency have joined forces to combat the growing trend of buying fake medicines on the internet. The financial crisis has pushed ever more people to search for cheaper sources of popular impotence and weight loss medications, however, people are failing to recognise the real risks associated with taking fake drugs. The Italian Authorities, in fact, are taking it upon themselves to bring the problem under control because it presents a serious risk for public health.
Of the substances confiscated (some 350 000 tablets, thousands of generic boxes costing just a few euros) there were seemingly innocuous food supplements. Samples of the pills found have been sent for laboratory testing at the Italian National Institute in order to understand the contents of the products confiscated. The most popular drugs found were male impotence pills, weight loss tablets, veterinary medications, steroids and cosmetics containing lead in small quantities. The drugs were sent using anonymous small parcels, labelled as paperwork and even wigs and other day to day objects which can be legally imported into the country. Surprisingly, of the people who bought medicines online, discretely and at low prices the list included doctors, pharmacists, vets, nurses, homeopathic pharmacists and gyms from all over the country. These findings are shocking because they suggest that even people who seek medical treatment via the official channels are at risk of taking counterfeit medications. The Italian Authorities are also using their findings and power to close down companies operating within the EU.
The parcels containing illegal fakes confiscated were intercepted by the Customs Agency, who patiently scanned and checked boxes arriving into the main sorting hub in Milan. Small scanners capable of checking the authenticity of medicines discovered fake tablets arriving from a company based on Holland. This company has now been shut down, and those responsible arrested serving as a warning to others who choose to attempt to sell illegal drugs. The powers of the Authorities are limited against those countries which export the largest number of drugs to Europe, countries such as India, China, America and Mexico. With just a few clicks a consumer can buy cheap imitation pills from thousands of miles away. Whilst the Authorities may struggle to close these far away operations down, they can do their best to deter those who buy online. A combination of campaigns to raise awareness on the health risks of buying generic Viagra etc online, confiscation and legal action is required to put an end to Italy’s black market drug problem.