IAPO calls on World Health Organisation member states to protect patients from counterfeit medical products

The International Alliance of Patient’s Organizations (IAPO) recently urged members of the WHO Executive Board and member states to protect patients from counterfeit medical products by taking action to promote awareness of the dangers they pose. This request was at the core of an intervention made by Jeremiah Mwangi, IAPO Senior Policy Officer, addressed to delegates at the 124th session of the WHO Executive Board in Geneva, Switzerland.

Counterfeit medical products pose a very real threat to the lives of patients worldwide, and are one of many threats to the quality and safety of medicines available to patients. IAPO believes that the prevalence and availability of counterfeit medical products highlights the gross inequity in access to safe and effective medical products that exists around the world.

To meet this challenge, numerous factors must be addressed, including weak regulatory systems, inability to afford essential medicines, lack of alternatives and a lack of information. Counterfeit medical products are a public health issue. Therefore, IAPO believes that WHO has a central role to play, bringing together relevant stakeholders, including other specialized UN agencies, who can tackle this threat.

In order to protect patients, IAPO made the following call to delegates: “In WHO and member states actions to protect the public from counterfeit medical products, we ask you to not only promote awareness of counterfeit medical products among health professionals, but also among patients so that they can be vigilant and report suspect medicines. IAPO believes that it is essential to take comprehensive and coordinated action to communicate the risks of counterfeit medical products to patients, and to keep patients safe.”

IAPO has prioritised the issue of counterfeit medical products as one of many patient safety issues that are a real danger to patients and, with other patients’ organizations, can make a substantial contribution to partnerships with other key stakeholders. In the role of information provider, IAPO has produced a toolkit for patients’ organizations which includes information to enable patients to identify potential counterfeit medical products and ensure that they acquire medicines that are safe and effective.

The International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT) estimates that: “Many countries in Africa and parts of Asia and Latin America have areas where more than 30% of the medicines on sale can be counterfeit.” This demonstrates in stark terms the need for political commitment and the full energy of those global institutions, designed to protect and promote public health, to combat this problem. This critical public health issue must not be allowed to slip off the agenda.