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Illegal websites offering for sale illegal and/or falsified products are an established threat for EU citizens. The internet is currently used both by private customers and also by unauthorized operators, buying drugs to be re-sold on the market (e.g. through sex shops or gyms).
European authorities (Drug Regulatory Agencies – DRAs, police and customs) and other public and private stakeholders (such as industries and universities) involved in combating pharmaceutical crime addressed the problem, but there was a clear need for an optimisation of coordination and cooperation.
In this scenario, “Fakeshare” – a project coordinated by the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) and co-funded by the “Prevention of and Fight against Crime” Programme of the EC – aimed at developing coordinated initiatives (such as investigation, campaigning, training) against the illegal distribution of medicines, with the goal of optimising the use of resources in activities developed at national and international level, by:
- ensuring coordination of investigation activities and polices forces initiatives
- targeting the illegal web distribution of medicines
- sharing information between countries with similar scenarios
