Generic medicines sold as original are basically trade fraud, says Consumer Council of Fiji chief executive officer, Premila Kumar.

Ms Kumar said the council had received reports where generic medicines were being traded and sold as trade brands.

Ms Kumar was speaking yesterday at the Regional Meeting on Quality Assurance and Rational Use of Essential Medicines in the Pacific Island Countries at Tanoa International Hotel in Nadi.

While she clarified that there was nothing wrong in using generic drugs, consumers did not know the difference between the originators and the generic brands which caused issues especially with the difference in costing.

“Unfortunately consumers don’t know, they cannot differentiate the two so that becomes the issue and later on when they find out from one store to another, they come to us and ask why the medicine was being sold at different prices,” Ms Kumar said.

She said the difference was that the originator brands were more expensive because the patent was still with the brand-name producers.

“So when the patent is taken off it simply means that many other companies can make the same medication,” she said.

“So this does not mean that the active ingredient is any way lesser,” Ms Kumar said.

Edited by Rusiate Mataika

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