“The Rise of the Parallel Pandemic” explores the growth of the global trade in counterfeit products amid the COVID-19 crisis. Organized crime groups are capitalizing on fear, supply shortages & growing demand to sell their products & expand their influence in existing and emerging consumer markets. Now more than ever, it is important to understand the health, societal & economic risks posed by consuming illicit medical products.

Sources for “The Rise of the Parellel Pandemic” include:

** Anastasia Austin, “4 Ways Microtraffickers are Getting Around Coronavirus Restrictions”, Insight Crime, 12 June 2020,  https://www.insightcrime.org/news/analysis/microtrafficking-coronavirus-restrictions/ ** “Fake medicines can be counterfeit, contaminated or mislabelled. Don’t take the chance.”, Interpol,  https://www.interpol.int/en/Crimes/Illicit-goods/Shop-safely/Fake-medicines ** “Global operation sees a rise in fake medical products related to COVID-19”, Interpol, 19 March 2020,  https://www.interpol.int/en/News-and-Events/News/2020/Global-operation-sees-a-rise-in-fake-medical-products-related-to-COVID-19 ** Sam Piranty, “Coronavirus fuels a surge in fake medicines”, BBC, 9 April 2020, https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52201077 ** Jay Kennedy, “Buyer beware: Counterfeit markets can flourish during a public health crisis”, The Conversation, 26 March 2020,  https://theconversation.com/buyer-beware-counterfeit-markets-can-flourish-during-a-public-health-crisis-134492 ** Mimi Yagoub, “Colombia Busts Fake Medicine Ring Worth Millions”, Insight Crime, 28 July 2016,  https://www.insightcrime.org/news/brief/colombia-busts-fake-medicine-ring-worth-millions/ **OECD/EUIPO (2020), “Trade in Counterfeit Pharmaceutical Products”, Illicit Trade, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/a7c7e054-en ** Tom Kington, “Patients die as Sicilian mafia buys into the hospital service”, The Guardian, 1 January 2007, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/jan/01/italy.mainsection ** “WHO Global Surveillance & Monitoring System for Substandard and Falsified Products”, World Health Organization, 2017  https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/326708/9789241513425-eng.pdf?ua=1 ** Zachary Goodwin, “Brazil Smuggles In Hydroxychloroquine Amid Coronavirus Despair”, Insight Crime, 4 June 2020,  https://www.insightcrime.org/news/brief/brazil-coronavirus-hydroxychloroquine/ ** 

And on last week’s episode:

Rafi Letzter, “The coronavirus didn't really start at that Wuhan 'wet market'”, Live Science, May 2020, https://www.livescience.com/covid-19-did-not-start-at-wuhan-wet-market.html