Lebanon: Judiciary crackdown on counterfeit medicines

Lebanon has stepped up efforts to combat the illegal trade in counterfeit medicines, as growing concerns over public health and the safety of the pharmaceutical market exert renewed pressure on the country’s judicial and health authorities to address a problem that has persisted for several years.

Head of Order of Pharmacists

In an interview with The Beiruter, President of the Lebanese Order of Pharmacists Abdel Rahman Merkbawi estimated that counterfeit medicines currently account for between 10 and 15 percent of Lebanon’s pharmaceutical market.

He explained that expensive medicines are the most frequently targeted because of the higher profits they generate, with cancer treatments, hormones used by athletes, and weight-loss drugs such as Mounjaro and Ozempic among the most commonly counterfeited products.

Furthermore, Merkbawi added that the smuggled medicines do not originate from a single country but enter Lebanon through multiple sources. He concluded with a warning to consumers, urging them not to compromise their health to save money and stressing that medicines should only be purchased from licensed pharmacies.

Judicial source

In parallel, a judicial media source told The Beiruter that investigations into counterfeit medicines are ongoing but remain at an early stage, warning that the scale of the files involved makes the process particularly demanding.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source stressed that the judiciary needs time to examine the cases and establish the facts. “We are still at the beginning. What investigation can be completed in three months? This is not possible,” the source said, pointing out that investigators are also requesting information from abroad, particularly countries from which the medicines found in Lebanon were imported.

Aoun pressures judiciary

The investigations come after President Joseph Aoun urged the judiciary, last week, to intensify its efforts against fraud and the trafficking of counterfeit medicines.

In a meeting at the Presidential Palace with Public Prosecutor Ahmad Rami al-Hajj, Aoun called for stricter prosecution of those involved in the manufacture, distribution and trade of fraudulent medicines and adulterated food products.

The presidential intervention shows growing attention at the highest levels of the state to crimes that directly affect public safety. It also comes amid mounting questions over the ability of Lebanon’s regulatory institutions to identify counterfeit pharmaceutical products, trace their supply chains and hold those responsible accountable.

Unofficial numbers

While the judiciary is pursuing investigations, the extent of the problem remains difficult to establish in the absence of comprehensive official figures.

A study published in December 2025, based on a survey of 767 community pharmacists across Lebanon conducted in 2024, provides an indication of how widespread the issue may be.

According to the findings, 54 percent of pharmacists surveyed said they had encountered counterfeit medicines during their professional practice. Nearly half, or 47.5 percent, reported having personally identified such products during the procurement process.

The survey also revealed that 84.2 percent of respondents said they had prior knowledge of counterfeit medicines, while 78.2 percent considered them widespread in Lebanon. More significantly, 93.7 percent acknowledged that counterfeit medicines pose a threat to public health and undermine the safety of the national pharmaceutical supply.

These figures reflect the concerns of pharmacists working directly with medicines and patients, although they should not be interpreted as an official measurement of the proportion of counterfeit products circulating in the market. Lebanon has yet to establish a consolidated official count of such medicines, leaving an important gap in understanding the scale of the problem.

History

Previous enforcement actions demonstrate that the issue is not new. In 2010, authorities closed nine pharmacies and four warehouses following the discovery of counterfeit Plavix, a medicine used to prevent blood clots. The case highlighted the potential reach of illicit pharmaceutical networks, extending beyond individual sellers to storage and distribution facilities.

However, the absence of updated enforcement statistics raises questions about what has happened since then and whether the authorities have developed an effective system to monitor and dismantle such networks.

Health ministry

One of the key missing pieces of information concerns the number of counterfeit-medicine cases detected by the Pharmacy Inspection Department at the Ministry of Public Health and referred to the judiciary between 2020 and November 2026. Such figures would help establish whether inspections have increased, whether suspected cases are being properly documented and how many have resulted in judicial proceedings.

The Health Ministry should make these figures available to the relevant authorities and the public. If such records do not exist or cannot be retrieved, that in itself should prompt an examination of the institutional shortcomings responsible for the absence of reliable data.

Dangers of counterfeit medicines

The issue goes beyond administrative oversight. Counterfeit medicines can expose patients to products with incorrect ingredients, inadequate dosages or no therapeutic effect, potentially delaying treatment and worsening existing conditions. Their circulation also undermines confidence in pharmacists, healthcare providers and the country’s pharmaceutical supply chain.

The distinction between counterfeit medicines and other forms of commercial fraud is particularly important. While fraudulent fuel or substandard consumer products can cause significant economic and material damage, counterfeit medicines carry a direct risk to human life. The consequences can be irreversible for patients who depend on medication to manage serious illnesses or maintain their health.

For this reason, the fight against counterfeit medicines should be treated as a public health priority and not simply another file involving commercial violations. It requires coordination between the judiciary, the Ministry of Public Health and the relevant inspection bodies, alongside effective monitoring of imports and distribution channels.

The President’s intervention may represent a step towards giving the issue the attention it deserves. But translating that political commitment into results will depend on whether investigations can identify those responsible, whether regulatory gaps are addressed and whether authorities can provide reliable figures on the scale of the trade.

With investigations still at an early stage, the challenge for Lebanon is not only to prosecute those involved in the illegal trade but also to ensure that counterfeit medicines can no longer find their way into pharmacies and, ultimately, into the hands of patients.