Rocío Castañeda
Due to the multiple impacts caused by the sale of counterfeit and expired medications in informal markets, it is essential to raise public awareness about the risks to their health and life when not purchasing from authorized sources.
The illegal sale of counterfeit and expired medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, paracetamol, anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamins, dietary supplements, antihypertensives, metformin, and even insulin has seen significant growth in Mexico, posing a serious threat to public health, warn researchers at the Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas (ENCB), Zacatenco campus, of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN).
Sandra García Medina, head of the BioPharmacy Laboratory at ENCB, explained that by the end of 2023, the illegal pharmaceutical market in Mexico was estimated to exceed 32 billion pesos, marking a 78% increase compared to 2019. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 700,000 deaths occur globally each year due to the consumption of these types of medicines. In Mexico, it is estimated that six out of ten drugs sold in street markets or unauthorized outlets are stolen, expired, or counterfeit, endangering nearly eight million people potentially exposed to this underground trade.
Moreover, health alerts issued by Mexico’s Federal Commission for the Protection Against Health Risks (Cofepris) have totaled 134 since March 2020, compared to just 19 between 2017 and 2019.
Dra. García attributes the increase in illegal drug sales to several factors: rising prices, which drive people to seek alternatives in informal markets, and the growing demand, up to 65%, for vitamins and supplements, which fuels illicit trade. She also noted that this issue has become a profitable enterprise, as penalties are lighter compared to other crimes. “Annual profits from the illegal drug trade exceed 11.5 billion pesos, significantly impacting the legal pharmaceutical industry,” she emphasized. Given the alarming and ongoing growth of this issue and its implications for public health and the economy, the specialist stressed the importance of collaboration between government, the pharmaceutical industry, and civil society to curb this phenomenon.
To evaluate the quality of medications sold in informal markets, such as street stalls or outside Metro stations, students from the Industrial Pharmaceutical Chemistry undergraduate program at ENCB Zacatenco conduct field visits to identify the types of drugs being offered and collect samples for further analysis of their composition and therapeutic effectiveness. These visits have revealed the widespread availability of such products in non-authorized locations in Mexico City, including Tepito, as well as in Nezahualcóyotl (State of Mexico) and Guadalajara, where a significant illegal pharmaceutical industry has been reported.
Laboratory analysis at the IPN BioPharmacy Lab confirmed the presence of counterfeit, expired medications, and others that, despite having proper labels, were stored under inappropriate conditions such as humidity or high temperatures, compromising their effectiveness.
“We must raise public awareness about these risks and support our claims with scientific evidence. These products often lack the required amount of active ingredient and fail to meet proper dissolution and release standards to deliver the intended therapeutic effect. Based on these characteristics, we classify them as poor-quality drugs, which can lead to additional health problems,” García Medina stated.
To assess drug quality, students and researchers at ENCB Zacatenco, including MSc Lucero García Medina, perform general quality tests (dissolution profiles) that provide a scientific basis for evaluating the safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical products.
These profiles are crucial in determining whether a drug’s active ingredient is properly released and meets the required specifications for effectiveness and safety, particularly relevant in informal markets where quality is inconsistent. Such analyses are used as a quality control method to ensure consistency between production batches. Under certain conditions, dissolution profile comparisons may even replace bioequivalence studies, allowing regulators to determine whether a generic drug can be safely substituted for its brand-name counterpart without compromising the patient’s health. “This is key to showing the public the health risks of buying medicines from unauthorized vendors—not just how they’re used, but also how they’re disposed of. We must raise awareness about this issue,” warned García Medina. She reiterated that these medicines often lack proper dosage and release mechanisms, failing to deliver the intended effects
She acknowledged that not everyone can afford brand-name drugs, but safe, approved generic alternatives exist, having passed rigorous interchangeability tests that ensure both efficacy and safety. Although illegal drug sales are not unique to Mexico and are also present in developed countries, primarily via online platforms, García emphasized the need to strengthen efforts to safeguard the public good that medicines represent.
While authorities are actively monitoring and conducting significant seizures, public cooperation is essential to prevent the purchase of these unsafe products in unauthorized locations.
INSTITUTO POLITÉCNICO NACIONAL
D.R. Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN). Av. Luis Enrique Erro S/N, Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos, Zacatenco, Alcaldía Gustavo A. Madero, C.P. 07738, Ciudad de México. Conmutador: 55 57 29 60 00 / 55 57 29 63 00.
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