How search engines are directing consumers to dangerous fake pharmaceutical products
Summary
Fake pharmaceuticals are on the rise and are readily available online, with Search Engines pivotal in directing users to infringing locations. To uncover the scale of the issue, Incopro undertook new research into the role Search Engines play in serving counterfeit and other illegal content to unwitting consumers.- Author Company: Incopro
- Author Name: Tosshan Ramgolam
Fake pharmaceuticals are on the rise and are readily available online, with Search Engines pivotal in directing users to infringing locations. To uncover the scale of the issue, Incopro undertook new research into the role Search Engines play in serving counterfeit and other illegal content to unwitting consumers.
Search Engines are enabling illegal online pharmacies to flourish, and this puts consumers at great risk. Search engines should provide a scalable solution to help brands remove illegal online pharmacies from their index.
The dangers of fake pharmaceuticals
Consumers exposed to fake medications are put at severe risk. Counterfeits leave health issues untreated and may, in fact, make them worse by building pathogen resistance against an active ingredient found in the genuine drug. Consumers given the wrong dosages can also be susceptible to adverse side effects. In some cases, counterfeiters even add dangerous or toxic substances to their products to achieve a ‘desired’ side-effect to give them the aura of authenticity.
