Oncology drugs clearly have become a target for pharmaceutical crime. Although the prevalence of falsified oncology drugs in the legal supply chains appears to be small, these drugs are difficult to detect, particularly in clinical practice. This is shown in a review article by RIVM in the journal The Lancet Oncology.
RIVM has performed a literature study on pharmaceutical crime with a focus on falsified oncology drugs. Falsifiers seem to be particularly interested in liquid oncology medicines because they are easy to replicate. Falsified oncology medicines can be very profitable and their lack of efficacy does not necessarily stand out.
Incidents in the United States show that health-care professionals can also be targeted by falsifiers. To increase the detectability of falsifications, reporting lack of efficacy or unusual drug effects is of great importance.
New EU (European Union) measures must secure the official medicine supply chains. However, continued vigilance is required because of the increasingly improving falsification technology and the globalisation of illegal trade.