It is undeniable that fake medicines are a growing threat to public health. This February, customs in Le Havre seized 2.4 million doses of counterfeit medicines disguised as tea. In 2012 Swiss companies were implicated in the distribution of counterfeit versions of the cancer drug Avastin. The struggle to prevent counterfeit medicines from infiltrating some of the most secure drug supply chains in the world makes clear the gravity of this challenge for regulatory authorities.
Alongside this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA 67) and within the scope of the Fight the Fakes campaign, our Partners IFPMA and the Fondation Chirac hosted Wednesday’s event: “Strengthening legislation against fake medicines: challenges and opportunities”.
The event discussed the Medicrime Convention, an international treaty to coordinate legislation and action against the dangers of counterfeit medicines and medical products to public health.
Distinguished speakers included Claude Debrulle, Honorary President of the Committee on Crime at the Council of Europe, Aboubacar Sidiki Diakité, Inspector General of Health in the Ministry of Health of Guinea and Tania Dussey-Cavassini, Deputy Director of International Affairs at the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health. The event was be moderated by Catherine Fiankan-Bokonga, Journalist and Vice President of the Association of Foreign Press in Switzerland and Liechtenstein with a closing statement from Marc Gentilli, Executive Officer of the Fondation Chirac.
