Counterfeit drugs pose serious health risks and can lead to treatment failure or death. They are manufactured to look similar to authentic medications through the use of fake packaging and improper ingredients like antifreeze, sugar, or chalk instead of the intended compounds. Counterfeit operations have been found producing fake medications for conditions like diabetes, malaria, erectile dysfunction, obesity, bipolar disorder, and high cholesterol. These illegal operations exist due to high demand from cheap prices and weak drug regulations and enforcement that make distribution and profits relatively low risk. Solutions to address this problem include incorporating advanced security features into drug packaging and labels.