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Access to safe, effective, and quality medical products is essential for universal health coverage. However, substandard and falsified medical products are frequently introduced into the global supply chain, leading to adverse health effects and socioeconomic costs. These products are a persistent public health challenge that affects WHO member states worldwide. The Member State Mechanism on Substandard and Falsified Medical Products was established in 2012 to coordinate and organize activities to prevent, detect, and respond to Read more…

The eleventh meeting of the Member State mechanism on substandard and falsified medical products was held in Geneva, Switzerland on 19 and 20 October 2022. The WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, opened the meeting and underscored the importance of access to safe and quality medical products as a cornerstone of universal health coverage.  The reporting disparity from GSMS (Global Surveillance and Monitoring System) both among WHO regions and in the classification of reported products Read more…

The Medicine Quality Monitoring (MQM) Globe is a new interactive tool developed by the Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO) to track the quality of medical products across the world. The issue of substandard and falsified medicines is a serious concern, but surveillance of these products is limited in most parts of the world, and incidents and alerts are often not adequately covered by news outlets. This lack of awareness and understanding can lead to serious Read more…

Illegal trade of substandard and false medicines in Europe mainly takes place online. The internet is used to sell medicines illegally and to spread false or misleading claims about the products being sold. Patients and consumers rarely check official websites to verify medical claims, making them susceptible to buying false and poor-quality products. Social media can be a powerful tool for communication to raise awareness on the issue. For this reason, the Committee of Experts Read more…

The UNODC Assessment of Trafficking in Medical Products in the Sahel brought to light a terrible situation of substandard and falsified medicines in the area.  While there are no reliable estimates of the overall quantities of medical products that are trafficked in different ways and forms in the Sahel countries, studies point to a percentage of substandard and falsified medicines in the medical market of between 19 and 50 per cent. Some 40 per cent Read more…