Customs officers at the Brussels airport seized more than two million counterfeit pills on Thursday that were made in India and destined for Africa, officials said. Blister packs of the pills, above, which included counterfeits of Tramal, a painkiller, and of Fansidar, an antimalaria drug, were found in large bags, the customs service said in a statement. The pills were sent in three shipments by a company based in Mumbai and were bound for two companies in western Africa. Lieven Muylaert, spokesman for the Belgian customs department, told Agence France-Presse, “To our knowledge, this is the biggest seizure of counterfeit medicine ever carried out in Europe.”
From the BBC:
Belgians seize Africa-bound drugs
More than two million counterfeit drugs destined for Africa have been seized in Belgium, customs officials say.
They said the shipment from India, including copies of an anti-malaria drug, was the biggest seizure of fake medication ever made in Europe.
Customs officers at Brussels airport became suspicious when they noticed spelling mistakes on the labels.
The UN says fake medicines represent 10% of the world market and up to 30% of the African market.
The seizure, made last week, was made public on Thursday night.
Hidden in large bags, the pills were copies of a strong painkiller made by a German company, and a Swiss-made anti-malarial treatment.
The confiscated medicines had been sent in three shipments by an Indian company in Mumbai, and were bound for two unnamed companies based in Togo.
Belgium's Le Soir newspaper reported that the drugs were probably intended to be distributed across West Africa.
"Thanks to this seizure, we have saved lives," Le Soir quoted Lieven Muylaert, spokesman for Belgium's customs department, as saying.
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