The number of reported incidences of counterfeit drugs is on the rise. But that's not necessarily bad news—it could be the result of better awareness, notes Tom Kubic, president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Security Institute, a nonprofit collaboration of 27 pharmaceutical manufacturers based near Washington, DC that has been monitoring the counterfeit situation since 2002. “We're getting closer to understanding the true scope and the full extent of counterfeiting worldwide,” he says. Below are the numbers of unique reports of fake drugs that stem from a single organization or product over a seven-year span.

Source: Pharmaceutical Security Institute, Situation Report (2008).