Counterfeit drugs trade is a spreading danger - Economy and Politics - livemint.com

Counterfeit drugs are a multibillion-dollar industry. The market is said to be worth over $60 billion (Rs2.54 trillion) a year, up 25% from three years ago and expected to rise to $100 billion by 2010.

The results are often calamitous. Sometimes the paid-for drugs never arrive. Sometimes they do, and that can be worse. They’re fakes, in some cases made of little more than powdered cement, artfully disguised to look like the real thing. At best, they will be of no medical benefit whatsoever. At worst, they can kill you.