The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has issued a public warning over the proliferation of counterfeit medicines and other products following the seizure of some ₱5 million worth of fake milk for senior citizens and diabetics in a warehouse located in a subdivision in Cainta, Rizal.

According to the NBI’s Intellectual Property Rights Division (NBI-IPRD), the seized fake products were already packed and ready for delivery to those who ordered them online for a cheaper price.

“A company making special milk reported the case to us. They are complaining about an entity making a counterfeit version of their products. We verified it and we were able to confirm that there’s an establishment within Rizal area that sells fake milk,” NBI-IPRD chief John Ignacio said.

Meanwhile, Pfizer Global Security officer Amy Callanan cautioned that in a side-by-side comparison, it can be difficult to tell the difference between a counterfeit and real medication, but she assured that there are ways for the public to be sure they are procuring effective medicine for their health needs.

“It really takes laboratory testing to confirm 100 percent if a medication is authentic or counterfeit. (However), there are ‘tells’ customers can look for, which may or may not be present. It’s important to know the absence of these signs doesn't mean the medication is authentic—it just means those particular tells aren’t there,” she clarified.

Although these indicators won't be present with every counterfeit, Callanan advises patients to be on the lookout for spelling errors, misspellings of the product name, manufacturer or main ingredients on medicine bottle labels or other packaging mistakes.

“Based on medication appearance, it could change size and shape and any sudden differences between refills should give you pause. Call your doctor or pharmacy to confirm any changes,” she said.

Callahan added that legitimate medicine will always have a factory-made appearance so it would be advisable for consumers to take notice of tablets that are cracked or have a bubbled-up coating.

“Moldy pills or jars containing excess powder or crystals should also be considered suspicious. Medication that comes in the original manufacturer packaging should be sealed. If it’s open, appears tampered with, or just doesn’t look right, it’s worth checking with the pharmacist,” she further advised.

Finally, she urged the buying public to avoid many of the issues surrounding the concern over fake medicines by making all in-person prescription purchases at a commercial pharmacy while avoiding farmers’ markets, flea markets or other stores such as those advertised online.