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Pharmaceutical crime
A major threat to public health
Pharmaceutical crime involves the manufacture, trade and distribution of fake, stolen or illicit medicines and medical devices. It encompasses the counterfeiting and falsification of medical products, their packaging and associated documentation, as well as theft, fraud, illicit diversion, smuggling, trafficking, the illegal trade of medical products and the money laundering associated with it.
We are seeing a significant increase in the manufacture, trade and distribution of counterfeit, stolen and illicit medicines and medical devices. Patients across the world put their health, even life, at risk by unknowingly consuming fake drugs or genuine drugs that have been doctored, badly stored or that have expired.
Illicit drugs can contain the wrong dose of active ingredient, or none at all, or a different ingredient. They are associated with a number of dangers and, at worst, can result in heart attack, coma or death.
The fight against counterfeit medicines is crucial in order to ensure the quality of products in circulation and to protect public health on a global scale.
The increasing prevalence of counterfeit and illicit goods has been compounded by the rise in Internet trade, where they can be bought easily, cheaply and without a prescription. It is impossible to quantify the extent of the problem, but in some areas of Asia, Africa and Latin America counterfeit medical goods can form up to 30% of the market.
The problem of organized crime
Organized criminal networks are attracted by the huge profits to be made through pharmaceutical crime. They operate across national borders in activities that include the import, export, manufacture and distribution of counterfeit and illicit medicines. Coordinated and cross-sector action on an international level is therefore vital in order to identify, investigate and prosecute the criminals behind these crimes.
INTERPOL's response
At INTERPOL, we are tackling this major problem in three main ways:
- Coordinating operations in the field to disrupt transnational criminal networks;
- Delivering training in order to build the skills and knowledge of all those agencies involved in the fight against pharmaceutical crime;
- Building partnerships across a variety of sectors.
If you would like to get involved with our work, please contact us.
12 March 2013
INTERPOL and pharmaceutical industry launch global initiative to combat fake medicines
07 October 2011
Operation Cobra in Western Africa combats pharmaceutical crime with INTERPOL support
29 September 2011
Global operation strikes at online supply of illegal and counterfeit medicines worldwide
Pharmaceutical Industry Initiative to Combat Crime
In an agreement worth EUR 4.5 million over three years, 29 of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies have joined with INTERPOL to raise public awareness of the dangers of fake medicines, and to boost the law enforcement response.
Operation Pangea V poster
October 2012: A global operation involving 100 countries targeted the organized crime networks behind the illicit online sale of medicines. More than 18,000 websites were shut down.
Fact sheet
Pharmaceutical crime | PDF 1 MB
