Photo Credit CDC PHIL
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Although its not exactly a new problem (reports go back several years), the number of cheap, unreliable, counterfeit condoms reaching retailers shelves in the UK is rising, prompting the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulation Agency (MHRA) to issue fresh warnings.
For the consumer, the problem is these knock-offs are almost impossible to tell apart from the real thing. Counterfeiters probably spent more on the misleading packaging, than on the product itself.
And according to the MHRA, these condoms are far more likely to fail than their legitimate counterparts, which can lead to unwanted pregnancies, and the spread of disease.
This from BBC News.
New warnings over a rise in counterfeit condoms
Page last updated at 06:05 GMT, Monday, 7 January 2013By Greg Dawson
The government's health regulator has warned there are a rising number of counterfeit condoms being smuggled into to the UK.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulation Agency (MHRA) claims millions have been illegally imported in the last 18 months.
Family planning experts say the bogus condoms don't provide protection against STIs or pregnancy.
Lest anyone think this problem is limited to the UK, in 2011 a U.S. immigrant from China was sentenced to more than three years in prison by a Brooklyn, NY judge for importing more than a million `fake’ Trojan condoms.
Counterfeit Condom Trafficker Gets 37-Month Sentence
By Thom Weidlich - Aug 11, 2010 5:11 PM ET
(EXCERPT)
Jian “Jimmy” Wang was sentenced today by U.S. District JudgeBrian Cogan in Brooklyn, New York. Condoms tested from the same batch as Wang’s were found to burst, leak and lack spermicide, prosecutors said. The brands seized were Trojan Magnum, Trojan-ENZ, Trojan Ultra Ribbed and Trojan Mint Tingle, according to court papers.
There are undoubtedly millions of these cheap, unreliable, and potentially dangerous condoms in circulation around the globe, often sold in small shops or from vending machines.
Given how closely these counterfeit products resemble the brand name, officials warn the best way to avoid getting stung is to buy condoms from reputable dealers and pharmacies.
A sensible enough protection that - like the condom itself - isn’t 100% reliable, but can substantially reduce the risk of pregnancy or disease.
