VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAM #3291/01 2170732
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 050732Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9775
INFO RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEAHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHDC
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0128
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 3662
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 2672
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 1813
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 5349
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 3307
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0694
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 4557
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0248
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA

UNCLAS AMMAN 003291 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS TO USTR (JENNIFER GROVES, NED SAUMS) 
STATE FOR EB/TPP/IPE (BOGER), NEA/ELA (RANA) 
DHS PASS TO U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON ETRD KIPR KTIA PGOV JO IPR
SUBJECT: JORDAN SEEING INCREASE OF FAKE DRUGS IN ITS MARKETS 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  Jordan has seen a disconcerting increase in fake 
medicine in its markets in 2007.  Jordan Customs has made eight 
significant seizures of such products this year, the largest and 
most recent involving $500,000 worth of fake blood pressure pills. 
The Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) has found that most 
of the illegal products contain inactive ingredients, and 
counterfeiters are using sophisticated techniques for packaging that 
make it difficult to distinguish the fake goods from the real thing. 
 Various Government of Jordan (GOJ) and pharmaceutical agencies are 
working cooperatively to combat this menace through public awareness 
campaigns and training, and would like to see stricter punishments 
for offenders.  End Summary. 
 
Fake Medicine on the Rise in Jordan 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On July 25, Jordan Customs Department (JCD) seized 126,000 
tablets of fake blood pressure medicine valued at $500,000, the 
largest Customs seizure ever of fake medicine according to JCD's 
Director General Mitab al-Zaben.  JFDA tested the drug and found it 
contained no active ingredients.  The Customs Director of 
Anti-smuggling, Lieutenant Mahmoud Al Dweiri, told Econoff July 29 
that the drugs were smuggled from China through a suspect Jordanian 
pharmacist, who is still under investigation and has not yet been 
arrested in the hopes he will lead them to bigger fish.  The 
pharmacist sold the drugs, which normally cost 30JD($42)/box, for 
1.4JD($2)/box to a sub-agent, who was arrested and claimed that he 
was unaware that the medicine was fake. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) This seizure represents Customs' eighth case of fake 
medicine in 2007.  A previous case involved $250,000 worth of fake 
drugs for schizophrenia intercepted in Aqaba; another entailed 
32,000 pills for pregnant women found in a spare tire.  Although 
Jordan seems to be seeing an increase in fake pharmaceuticals, 
Dweiri noted that Customs did not keep good statistics on such cases 
before 2007, and perhaps a heightened IPR focus could be revealing a 
problem that previously went undetected. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Taher Al Shakhshir, Chief of the Pharmaceutical 
Association, and Dr. Laila Jarrar, JFDA's Drug Director, both 
confirmed separately to Econoff that fake medicine was indeed a new 
and "terrifying" phenomenon in Jordan.  Jarrar's office is 
responsible for inspecting the 1,800 pharmacies and drug 
manufacturing companies in Jordan.  Suspect drugs that have been 
seized are sent to JFDA for testing and destruction upon court 
orders.  Jarrar has seen over 30 imitated brands from various 
countries (including U.S., European, Indian and Syrian brands of 
drugs) and for various ailments, with the most popular counterfeited 
item being Viagra.  Most of the fake drugs contain inactive 
ingredients, according to Jarrar, although some include quantities 
of a particular ingredient below or above authorized percentages. 
Shakhsir confirmed that the majority of fake tablets come from China 
or India, and to a lesser extent Lebanon and Syria. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Jarrar noted that JFDA has recently been shutting down at 
least one pharmacy a day, which usually remain closed for a few 
weeks until the court issues a decision and any penalties are paid. 
The problem, she argued, is that courts have been issuing under the 
2001 Drug and Pharmacy Law minimal penalties averaging 100JD ($140) 
that do not offer any real deterrent.  JFDA plans to hold a workshop 
in the near future for judges to educate them on the problem and 
urge harsher sentences.  As a long-term solution, Jarrar would like 
to see the law changed to allow sentences equal to that for 
premeditated murder, a measure that Shakhsir also proposed to the 
Prime Ministry. 
 
Challenges: Capacity and Public Awareness 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) One of the greatest challenges facing all the GOJ agencies 
responsible for IPR appears to be lack of human resources.  Customs 
has only 120 law enforcement officials responsible for 
anti-smuggling countrywide, and only a handful of officials 
designated to the IPR unit.  Dweiri noted that it would be helpful 
to have pharmacists on Customs teams to help identify fake 
pharmaceuticals.  Jarrar noted that her office only has eight 
inspectors.  As a result, interagency cooperation is critical, and 
according to Jarrar, JFDA has been relying on the help of Ministry 
of Health inspectors, Customs, and the Anti-Corruption Office of the 
Intelligence Department to identify and seize the fake drugs. 
 
¶7. (U) GOJ interlocutors have also identified lack of technical 
information on goods, particularly medicine, as a problem.  Jarrar 
noted that counterfeiters are using sophisticated techniques for 
packaging, citing one example of an imitated box containing correct 
braille.  JFDA has been working with pharmaceutical companies to 
educate inspectors on ways to detect counterfeit drugs.  Both 
Customs and JFDA were pleased to hear that the U.S. Patent and 
Trademark Office will provide regional IPR training, including a 
one-day segment on enforcement, in Amman in November 2007, and plan 
to send participants. 
 
¶8. (U) Dweiri identified the need for more public awareness and 
community involvement, particularly in providing law enforcement 
information on potential cases of fake medicine.  Shakhshir promotes 
radio messages several times per week, advising locals to be 
skeptical of any drugs offered at more than a 10 percent discount. 
JFDA also posts messages on its website and engages the press on any 
recall items, particularly those flagged by the U.S. Food and Drug 
Administration.  All interlocutors would welcome technical 
assistance or best practices from U.S. agencies responsible for 
fighting this global menace. 
 
Visit Amman's Classified Website at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman 
 
HALE