Counterfeiting Report Updates ‘Pharmaceuticals’ Category to ‘Healthcare Products’
The State of Counterfeiting in India 2025 Report has updated its product classification by replacing the term “pharmaceuticals” with “healthcare products”, reflecting a broader range of products covered in its consumer survey and providing a more accurate representation of India’s healthcare ecosystem.
The nomenclature revision follows a detailed review of survey responses, which indicated that consumers associated the category with a wide spectrum of healthcare and wellness products rather than prescription medicines alone.
Broader Scope of Healthcare Products
According to the report, the updated category now encompasses:
- Medical devices
- Pharmaceuticals and medicines
- Nutraceuticals
- Over-the-counter (OTC) healthcare products
The revised terminology has been introduced to better represent the products that consumers regularly encounter in pharmacy retail outlets and were included during the survey process.
Consumer-Centric Classification
The report is based on a nationwide consumer perception survey designed to understand public awareness and experiences related to counterfeit products in India.
The revised nomenclature aligns more closely with how consumers perceive healthcare-related products, ensuring that the findings accurately reflect the scope of products assessed during the research.
By adopting the term “healthcare products,” the report captures the broader healthcare and wellness landscape instead of limiting the category to pharmaceuticals alone.
Improving Clarity for Stakeholders
The report states that the change enhances the clarity and relevance of its findings for policymakers, healthcare companies, regulators and other stakeholders while maintaining the integrity of the original survey data.
The updated classification better reflects the diversity of products within the healthcare ecosystem and supports more meaningful interpretation of consumer insights on counterfeit products.
Importantly, the nomenclature update does not alter the underlying survey results or research findings but simply provides a more representative description of the products included in the study.
The revised terminology is expected to improve future discussions around counterfeit healthcare products by encompassing medicines, medical devices, nutraceuticals and OTC products under a single, consumer-friendly category.