Counterfeit pharmaceuticals, or “bamba,” sold in Arequipa, Peru, May Lead to Death

Counterfeit medicines, or “bamba” en the Arequipa region of Peru are being sold in informal chemist’s/pharmacies, grocery stores, fairs, and even by ambulatory street vendors, stated Howard Revilla Díaz of the Regional Office for Oral Pharmaceuticals (Dirección Regional de Medicamentos Insumos y Drogas, or DIREMID). Among these pharmaceuticals are the analgesics Arponax and Dolocordralán and the antibiotics Bactrín and Uropol, made by clandestine operations in Lima. 5,000 “bamba” products, whose consumption may even lead to death, have been seized in 2010, mostly from the 60 illegal pharmacies in the city of Arequipa. Mr. Revilla Díaz recommends that consumers buy medicines in legally recognized chemist’s shops which have a licensed chemist/pharmacist.
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