Industry giant 3M has been working with law enforcement 24 hours a day to help stop the sale of millions of counterfeit versions of its N95 mask.
“We have taken very strong steps in tackling counterfeiting or falling prices. And this has happened in the last year in this constrained environment of very strong supply and demand for critical products like the N95,” said Mike Vale, who leads security. 3M and the industrial business group, told CNBC.
N95s were the gold standard during the coronavirus pandemic for their ability to filter at least 95% of airborne particles. The masks, which are seen as critical in protecting front-line workers from Covid-19, had few resources. 3M is the largest manufacturer of N95.
Federal authorities announced on Wednesday that the scammers had distributed millions of counterfeit N95s to health workers in at least five states. To date, 3,000 cases of counterfeit masks have been reported by 3M, leading to 29 civil lawsuits. In total, the company said it seized 10 million fake N95s. In mid-January, 3M helped its home state of Minnesota avoid buying nearly 500,000 counterfeit N95s from a Florida company. 3M sued and ended up winning an order.
News of the federal investigation into counterfeit N95s comes as several Washington hospitals found out that the supply of masks contained fakes.
“It’s an amazing feeling … just to think that there are people … who are making counterfeit personal protective equipment that we need so much now during this pandemic,” Cassie Sauer, president of the Hospital Association, told NBC News. Washington State. at begining of the week.
3M helped Washington officials confirm that the fake masks were purchased from an unauthorized distributor who had no relationship with the company. 3M warns that hospitals and medical clinics must verify that they are purchasing respirators from an approved authorized dealer. One way to do this is by checking the company’s website or calling the anti-fraud helpline.
Despite concerted efforts to detain and hold fraudsters accountable, fake masks continue to appear in the United States and around the world. “Fake N95s pose a serious health risk and I think 3M was appropriately aggressive when it took them off the street. However, it’s a hit game, get rid of one and another comes up,” said Scott Davis, CEO. of Melius Research, which has been following the evolution of 3M for several years.
In terms of production, 3M now produces more than 95 million respirators per month at its US plants in South Dakota and Nebraska. By scaling up production and hiring hundreds of additional workers, including 300 at the South Dakota plant, the company has managed to quadruple production in the past year.
However, a number of doctors who spoke to CNBC said they were still reasoning about the masks.
“Getting enough N95 to safely cover healthcare workers is an unresolved challenge, especially for smaller hospitals and healthcare facilities. Having to negotiate about counterfeit products makes it even thinner. and it is impossible to provide adequate protection for our front line. ” said Dr. Natasha Anushri Anandaraja, who founded Covid Courage, a New York nonprofit organization that helps health care workers gain access to PPE, including N95 and reusable masks.
Due to the limited supply, Anandaraja said more health workers are opting for reusable options. “Providing every healthcare worker with their own reusable mask will eliminate the constant struggle to find legitimate disposable masks and eliminate the need for health care workers to reuse single-use masks and save hundreds of thousands of dollars in healthcare. year. “