PHA-Exchange> Fw: [health-vn] WHO AND PARTNERS ACCELERATE FIGHT AGAINST COUNTERFEIT MEDICINES

[Claudio]

From: "Vern Weitzel" <vern at coombs.anu.edu.au>
 <media at vtn.wpro.who.int>
>
>     *News Release WHO/69*
>     *15 November 2006*
>     *WHO AND PARTNERS ACCELERATE FIGHT AGAINST COUNTERFEIT MEDICINES *
>
>     *UP TO 50% OF MEDICINES SOLD THROUGH ROGUE WEB SITES ARE FAKE*
>
>     *Geneva -* The World Health Organization (WHO) and more than 20
>     international partners are today launching a comprehensive package
>     of measures to help national authorities safeguard their populations
>     from the dangers of counterfeit medicines.
>
>     At the opening of the first official meeting of IMPACT (the
>     International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce) in
>     Bonn, WHO and its partners are unveiling a programme covering
>     legislation, law enforcement, regulation, technology and
>     communication.  IMPACT is also issuing a warning against buying
>     medicines from rogue web sites as well as cautioning governments
>     that existing laws against medical counterfeiters are inadequate and
>     do not act as deterrents.
>
>     Counterfeit medicines range from products containing no active
>     ingredients to those containing highly toxic substances.  They can
>     harm patients by failing to treat serious conditions, can provoke
>     drug resistance and in some cases kill.
>
>     The latest estimates jointly elaborated by WHO, the OECD, and the
>     Pharmaceutical Security Institute show that more than 30% of
>     medicines in some areas of Latin America, South East Asia and
>     Sub-Saharan Africa are counterfeit.  In emerging economies, the
>     proportion is estimated at 10% but in many of the former Soviet
>     republics it can be as high as 20%.  In wealthy countries, with
>     strong regulatory mechanisms, counterfeits account for less than 1%
>     of the market value, but 50% of illegal Internet sales are 
> counterfeit.
>
>     "The impact on people's lives behind these figures is devastating,"
>     said Dr Howard Zucker, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health
>     Technology and Pharmaceuticals.  "Whether rich or poor, many
>     patients trustingly taking medicines may end up sicker or die.  In
>     addition, precious resources spent on these medicines go to waste."
>
>     The legal systems of most countries do not consider the
>     counterfeiting of medicines a more serious crime than counterfeiting
>     luxury items such as handbags or watches.  Their laws are designed
>     mainly to protect trademarks than people's health.  In some
>     industrialized countries, counterfeiting t-shirts receives a harsher
>     punishment than counterfeiting medicines.
>
>     WHO and its IMPACT partners will present guiding principles for
>     model legislation to help countries adapt their laws to the gravity
>     of the crime.  "A major objective is for countries to agree that
>     counterfeiting is a crime against human security and incorporate
>     that principle into their laws," added Dr Zucker.
>
>     Legislation, regulation and enforcement also provide the basis for
>     dealing with the sale of counterfeit medicines on the Internet,
>     which is already rife in industrialized countries and is growing in
>     a number of emerging economies in Latin America and Asia.
>
>     Some Internet pharmacies are completely legal operations, set up to
>     offer clients convenience and savings.  They require patient
>     prescriptions and deliver medications from government licensed
>     facilities.  Other Internet pharmacies operate illegally, selling
>     medications without prescriptions and using unapproved or
>     counterfeit products.  These rogue Internet pharmacies are operated
>     internationally, they have no registered business address and sell
>     products that have an unknown or unclear origin.
>
>     "This area needs more work," said Dr Valerio Reggi, WHO Coordinator
>     of IMPACT.  "But the message for now is: do not take the risk of
>     buying your medicines from unknown sources, such as the Internet. If
>     you must buy from the Internet, ensure that the website is that of a
>     pharmacy you know and trust."
>
>     In the technology area, WHO has launched a challenge to technology
>     providers to come up with new technologies or adapt existing ones to
>     prevent counterfeiting and detect and track counterfeits on markets
>     and on web sites.
>
>     WHO is currently looking at proposals from three mobile telephone
>     companies to apply their technologies to check the authenticity of
>     medical products.  DNA-based technologies, nanotechnology and other
>     approaches will be assessed by IMPACT in the first quarter of 2007.
>
>     To improve communication, a small group has been created to
>     continuously update global data on medical counterfeiting and share
>     the information with IMPACT partners.  In addition, advocacy
>     campaigns including public service announcements, short descriptive
>     films and other awareness raising materials have begun targeting
>     different professional sectors likely to come across the problem of
>     counterfeits.  Organizations representing health professionals and
>     consumers are supporting these initiatives.
>
>     Three countries with a high proportion of counterfeits have already
>     started tackling the problem with IMPACT's support.  Indonesia and
>     Mali have begun wide communication campaigns to educate the general
>     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.
>
>     "It is clear that action in a single sphere, like legislation or
>     technology is not enough to deal effectively with the problem," said
>     Dr Reggi.  "This is why we need to act on five axes - legal,
>     enforcement, regulatory, technology and communication.  It's also
>     why we need to coordinate action at a global level.  But the fact
>     that individual countries are already taking this on bodes well for
>     the future."
>
>     By the end of 2007 IMPACT aims to have all 193 WHO Member States
>     formally collaborating to stem global and national counterfeiting of
>     medical products.
>
>
>
>     *For more facts and figures on medical counterfeiting, see:*
>
>     (login: impact1; password: impact2)
>
> 
> _http://www.who.int/medicines/services/counterfeit/impact/ImpactF_S/en/index.html_
>
>     For more details on IMPACT and a full list of partners see:
>
> 
> _http://www.who.int/medicines/services/counterfeit/faqs/count_q-a/en/index.html_
>
>     _http://www.who.int/medicines/services/counterfeit/en/index.html_
>
>     *Contact: *
>
>     Daniela Bagozzi, WHO Media Communications, tel. +41 22 791 45 44;
>     mobile +41 79 475 54 90; email: _bagozzid at who.int_
>     <mailto:bagozzid at who.int>. All press releases, fact sheets and other
>     WHO media material may be found at _www.who.int_ <http://www.who.int>.
>