The EU launches a new project to fight falsified medicines in developing countries
7 Apr 2014 03:12 PM
The European Union has launched a new project
which will support the fight against the production and the trafficking in
falsified medicines.
Falsified medicines are a major threat to public health
and safety as they usually contain ingredients which are of bad quality, in the
wrong dose or simply ineffective, and in some cases even
toxic.
European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs,
said: "Falsified medicines have become an important source of income
for organised crime groups, with extremely high returns, hampering the peaceful
development of these countries. ‘With this project we will provide
training – to support investigation and criminal justice services, as
well as to provide technical support – to detect and analyse suspicious
medicines and raise awareness of the risks related to the use of falsified
medicines.”
Falsified medicine is a problem that affects developed
countries as well as developing countries, since patients all around the world
are likely to fall prey to falsified medical products. Accessibility to medical
treatments and medical products in many developing countries is a challenge in
itself, making them particularly exposed and vulnerable to the dangers of
falsified medicines. Approximately 100,000 deaths per year in Africa are due to
the trade of falsified medicines (according to the World Health
Organisation).
The
project will enable the national judicial, control and law enforcement
authorities to efficiently respond to the fight against falsified medicines,
providing them with the necessary legal framework and capacities to conduct
these operations effectively. Countries concerned will be able to share their
expertise and best practices, as well as to network in order to harmonise their
policies at trans-regional level; potentially leading to joint
operations.
The
European Commission is contributing more than €4 million to this 3 year
project. The funds made available for this project have been provided under the
Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP).
Background
The
project will have four main components:
-
update existing legislative framework related to the
production and circulation of falsified medicines;
-
development of a national strategy and strengthening of
inter-agency cooperation as well as improvement of cross-border
cooperation;
-
enhancement of legal capacities, collection, analysis
and sharing of information, investigation and providing
training;
-
awareness raising campaigns
Approaching the fight against falsified medicines from a
perspective of organised crime will be a key element of this project,
considering the proportions that the illegal trade and criminal organisations
have acquired in the past years. Estimate figures show that the field has
doubled in 2005-2010 to an estimated €57 billion in global sales of
falsified medicines (according to the World Health
Organisation).
Over 30 million counterfeit medicines have been seized
by customs at EU borders over the last five years (according to the European
Commission Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union), roughly about
1% of the market volume. In West Africa, 60% of the market value of medicines
is estimated as falsified products.
Patients in developing countries can turn to the illegal
market due to the lower prices, without appropriately measuring the risks they
incur. If there is an insufficient regulatory authority and no appropriate
means for individuals to verify the authenticity of a medical product, the
patient is also subject to purchasing illegitimate products without knowledge
from outlets outside pharmacists’ supervision.
This is the case in Senegal, for example, with over 100
shops and even more illicit outlets where the incidence of falsified medicines
is higher. This is a risk that can be further aggravated by sales on-line.
Currently 62% of medicines purchased online are fake or substandard and 95.6%
of online pharmacies researched are operating illegally (according to the
European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines).
For
more information
World Health Day 2014: EU-funded research to fight
vector-borne diseases MEMO/14/257
Website of the European Commissioner for Development,
Andris Piebalgs:
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/piebalgs/index_en.htm
Website of DG Development and Cooperation - EuropeAid
– Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (former Instrument for
Stability):
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/how/finance/ifs_en.htm