![FDA, FTC and DOJ Enforcement of Medical Device Regulations FDA, FTC and DOJ Enforcement of Medical Device Regulations](https://www.fdanews.com/ext/resources/Book-Covers-2/BFFDEMDR-COVER.png?height=200&t=1685733565&width=200)
Home » WHO BEGINS FIGHT AGAINST COUNTERFEIT DRUGS
WHO BEGINS FIGHT AGAINST COUNTERFEIT DRUGS
The World Health Organization (WHO) and more than 20 international partners have launched a plan to help national authorities safeguard their populations from counterfeit medicines.
At the opening of the first official meeting of the International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT) in Bonn, Germany, WHO and its partners unveiled a program covering legislation, law enforcement, regulation, technology and communication. IMPACT also issued a warning to consumers against buying medicines from certain websites, as well as a warning to governments that existing laws against counterfeiting are inadequate.
According to WHO's latest estimates, more than 30 percent of medicines in some areas of Latin America, South East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are counterfeit. In emerging economies, the number is estimated at 10 percent, but in many of the former Soviet republics it can be as high as 20 percent. In wealthy countries, with strong regulatory mechanisms, counterfeits account for less than 1 percent of the market value, but 50 percent of illegal internet sales are counterfeit.
Three countries
with a high proportion of counterfeits have already started tackling the problem
with IMPACT's support. Indonesia and Mali have begun campaigns to educate the
public on the dangers of counterfeits and to dissuade people seeking treatment
from buying on the black market. Vietnam is establishing mechanisms to coordinate
more effectively between regulatory, police, customs and provincial authorities
in order to improve detection of counterfeit medicines and counterfeiters.
KEYWORDS Daily International Pharma Alert
Upcoming Events
-
18Jul
-
21Oct