How to Identify Real and Fake Veterinary Drugs: Teach You to Tell Genuine from Counterfeit Veterinary Drugs

In recent years, with the rapid development of the veterinary drug market, some unscrupulous traders have passed off inferior products as good ones and fakes as genuine in veterinary drug sales, deceiving farmers into using fake and inferior veterinary drugs, which has caused the worsening of illness or death of sick animals and brought considerable economic losses to farmers. Therefore, farmers must master some methods for identifying real and fake veterinary drugs.

1. Check the outer packaging. Genuine veterinary drugs generally have clearly printed outer packaging, dark-colored lettering, thick packaging bags and good quality, while counterfeit products have blurry patterns, light-colored lettering and poor printing.

2. Check the "GMP" certification. Generally, the packaging box or packaging bag will indicate "Veterinary Drug GMP Acceptance-Passed Enterprise", and some manufacturers also indicate "National Veterinary Drug GMP Certified Enterprise". Those without the "GMP" wording are not qualified veterinary drugs.

3. Check the approval number. Veterinary drug packaging must have an approval number issued by the Ministry of Agriculture or the agriculture and animal husbandry administrative authority of a province, municipality or autonomous region, and imported veterinary drugs must have an import veterinary drug license issued by the Ministry of Agriculture. The approval number of a veterinary drug is valid for 5 years, so generally it should not be more than 5 years from the time of purchase.

4. Check the packaging label. According to the provisions of the Veterinary Drug Management Regulations, veterinary drug packaging must bear a label or instructions, indicating the words "For Veterinary Use". In addition to indicating the veterinary drug name, specifications, manufacturer and factory address, registered trademark, production batch number and approval number, the label should also clearly state the main ingredients, actions and uses, usage and dosage, storage method, validity period, precautions or contraindications, etc., and the drug name must identify the generic name of the product being sold (especially including the chemical name of the main ingredient of the veterinary drug). Those with incomplete labeling are mostly fake and inferior veterinary drugs.

5. Check the anti-counterfeiting mark. The anti-counterfeiting mark is a symbol designed by each manufacturer itself, and each manufacturer has its own anti-counterfeiting method and mark, so each manufacturer is different and each variety is different. Some use lasers, some use fire baking, and some use fluorescence; some are on the bottle cap, and some are pressed into lines at the bottom of the bag. Fake veterinary drugs have no anti-counterfeiting mark.

6. Check the production date. If a veterinary drug does not indicate its validity period, or indicates a validity period but has already passed it, its efficacy cannot be guaranteed, so it is best not to purchase or use expired veterinary drugs.

7. Check the sales store. Be sure to purchase veterinary drugs at a regular sales store with a Veterinary Drug Business License. The veterinary drugs purchased should have a Veterinary Drug Production License or a Veterinary Drug Preparation License, etc., and sales receipts should be issued and kept properly.

8. Identification method for tablet veterinary drugs. Tablets should have a complete appearance, be smooth and clean, consistent in thickness and shape, uniform in color, and have suitable hardness. There must be no sticking, mold, melting, mottling, black spots, breakage or discoloration. The packaging should be tightly sealed, complete and undamaged, and the printing should be upright and clear. Those that do not meet the above requirements are all fake and inferior veterinary drugs.

9. Identification method for water injection veterinary drugs. Except for special varieties, water injections should be uniform in color and clear, and should conform to the specified color and match the standard. There must be no turbidity, discoloration, crystallization, precipitation, etc.; otherwise, they are fake and inferior drugs.

10. Identification method for powder injection veterinary drugs. When shaken, powder injections should move freely inside the bottle and be uniform in color. There must be no foreign matter, discoloration, caking or melting, and there should be no cracked bottles, leaking seals or loose bottle caps. Long Zhaohui