Kurdistan security forces seize counterfeit medicine, make arrests

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Security forces in the Kurdistan Region seized a large number of counterfeit medicines in the capital of Erbil and arrested at least two people for alleged sales of the products, a health official said on Monday.

“Drugs that claimed to treat cancer were being manufactured at a farm on the Erbil–Salahuddin Road,” Hezha Anwar, the head of the Kurdistan Region’s drug control commission, told Kurdistan 24.

The claims have “no scientific basis,” and the drugs were sold at USD 900 to 1,000 per package, she added. The security forces provided Kurdistan 24 with photos that showed the various medicines as well as two detainees who were captured on charges related to dealing with the products.

Anwar affirmed that the security forces had made arrests related to the case, noting that investigations are continuing to find out the source and distributors of these drugs.

The official explained that a portion of these counterfeit medicines had been smuggled from Iran into the region, entering through Sulaimani province before moving to Erbil.

She cautioned citizens to purchase medicine only from pharmacies licensed by regional authorities.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) established the drug control commission recently as the need for a body to supervise the import of food and medicine grew.

In July, Zana Mala-Khalid, head of the Food and Medicine Committee at the Kurdistan Parliament, told local media that one of the KRG cabinet’s agendas was to form a body that would oversee the import of said goods, as well as ensure quality and fair prices.

Kurdistan Region citizens have recently been vocal about concerns over the lack of quality control and inflated medicine prices. In October 2018, the KRG enforced new regulations on the region’s pharmaceutical industry after sales of counterfeit drugs and claims of shady deals between doctors and sales companies.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany