IFPMA Geneva Pharma Forum, The Threat of False Friends, Fake Medicines - Imminent Risks to Global Health (Geneva, 11 December2013), Prof. David Taylor

1. Falsified Medicines and the
Global Public’s Health
David Taylor
Professor of Pharmaceutical and Public Health Policy
The UCL School of Pharmacy

2. Medical products should meet standards of quality, safety and
efficacy. The quality of medical products is, however, a major public
health concern to the World Health Organization and its Member
States........The illegitimate manufacture, distribution, widespread
availability and indiscriminate use of substandard/spurious/falsely
labelled/falsified/counterfeit medical products have serious
consequences on public health
Report of the regional taskforce on prevention and control of
substandard/spurious/falsely labelled/falsified/counterfeit. WHO
Regional Office for Africa, May 26th 2011
Falsified Medicines and the Global Public’s Health

3. Medicines falsification
(counterfeiting) involves
deliberate intent to deceive and
to avoid legal regulation
The remedies needed to
discourage it are unlike those
normally required to assure
good quality and discourage
sub-standard production in
legally regulated circumstances Paul Newton and Roger Bate
Falsified Medicines and the Global Public’s Health

4. The licit and illicit medicines supply chains
Falsified Medicines and the Global Public’s Health

5. Falsified Medicines and the Global Public’s Health

6. Weak quantitative but strong qualitative
evidence of harm
Case studies include:
Kevin Xu
Christiaan Winkel
Falsified Avastin and
Tamiflu in the US
The Jebel Ali Free Zone
Plavix in the Lebanon
Harpakash Kaur: Travel and fake Counterfeit antimalarials in
artesunate: a risky business
Nigeria
Falsified Medicines and the Global Public’s Health

7. Countries and regions from China and India to
the US and Turkey and Nigeria to Russia and the
UK are already working to prevent medicines
falsification, drive out corruption and improve
public health.
In Europe the recording and authenticity
checking measures to be introduced under the
terms of the 2011 Falsified Medicines Directive
should open the way to log term public health
benefits above and beyond those immediately
associated with reduced levels of counterfeiting.
But better global co-ordination and greater unity
of purpose could add further gains.
Ton Hoek and
Dora Akunyili
Falsified Medicines and the Global Public’s Health

8. Towards more effective
Mechanisms?
Over 200 delegates from 76 countries
gathered in Buenos Aires, Argentina for the
SSFFC member state mechanism meeting
from 19-21 November 2012.
,

9. David.G.Taylor@ ucl.ac.uk
Falsified Medicines and the Global Public’s Health