The 2,003 incidents occurring in CY 2009 involved 808 different pharmaceutical products. The number of products found in a single incident ranged from one drug to forty-three different drugs. The number of therapeutic categories found in a single incident ranged from one to twelve. PSI also found that pharmaceuticals in every therapeutic category are targeted by criminal organizations.
Mirroring earlier findings, CIS data revealed that medicines in the genito-urinary, anti-infectives and central nervous system therapeutic categories contained the largest number of incidents. These three categories were seen as having drugs which were the most frequently targeted by individuals engaged in pharmaceutical counterfeiting. This finding remains consistent with CY 2008 therapeutic category rankings.
But, while the ranking of the top three therapeutic categories remained the same, the Institute has noted a number of therapeutic categories that have had a significant percentage increase on a year to year basis. Specifically, the alimentary therapeutic category led with the largest percentage increase at fifty-seven percent (57%). The remaining top categories include: anti-infectives (+48%), musculo-skeletal (+35%), cytostatics (+32%), central nervous system (+28%), and cardiovascular (+23%).
