Police, customs and health officials agree way forward in combating counterfeit medical products in Southern Africa

The two-day regional conference (9-10 November), organized under the auspices of the World Health Organization International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force (IMPACT), ended with a number of recommendations intended to enhance co-operation and collaboration between the various agencies involved.

Key measures agreed by senior officials from 16 countries include the establishment of a proper legal framework to support prosecutions; the creation of national multi-agency taskforces with international links to IMPACT; and the expansion of combined enforcement activities.

INTERPOL and WHO welcomed the efforts of Southern African countries to combat counterfeit medical products in the region and called on regional Governments to support the recommendations.

Created in 2006, IMPACT works to develop international collaboration between WHO member states, international organizations, NGOs, law enforcement agencies and health professional groups. The aim is to raise awareness of the dangers of counterfeit medical products and to curb their manufacture and distribution.

Counterfeit medical products represent a global public health crisis. They range from inactive, useless preparations to harmful, toxic substances, and are often indistinguishable from the genuine product. They pose a major risk to public health and are becoming increasingly prevalent in all parts of the world.

High costs of legitimate drugs and inadequate controls mean that patients turn increasingly (knowingly or otherwise) to counterfeit drugs. At best, these substandard drugs are likely to be less effective, but they can also be harmful, even life-threatening. Fake antimalarial drugs are believed to be a contributory factor in a significant number of tragedies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Also increasingly available are counterfeited treatments for life threatening diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.