EGA Press Release

Monday, 14 May 2007

KEEPING COUNTERFEIT MEDICINES OUT OF THE EU:
A PROPORTIONAL AND TARGETED APPROACH REQUIRED

“Counterfeiting of pharmaceuticals is a criminal and reprehensible crime: it puts people’s lives at risk and undermines public confidence in Europe’s vital healthcare systems.” With this statement from the its recently published position paper on EU anti-counterfeiting policy the EGA expresses its strong support for maintaining Europe’s current record of protecting pharmaceutical supplies from the potential dangers posed by counterfeit medicines. EGA Director General Greg Perry presented the paper today at a conference in the European Parliament, entitled “Putting an End to Drug Counterfeiting”, chaired by Françoise Grossetête, MEP.

Fortunately, only 27 cases of counterfeiting have been reported in the EU in the last 5 years and the fact that there have been no incidents of counterfeit generic medicines actually reaching patients in the EU demonstrates the merits of the systems put in place by EU and national healthcare authorities.

High-priced originator pharmaceuticals are the principal target of counterfeiters. Generic medicines are not currently counterfeited in the EU, due mainly to their low prices and profit margins resulting from market competition.

In this context, the EGA underscores its position that a proportional and targeted approach to the problem is needed in the EU, involving adequate criminal sanctions, reinforced drug regulation and enforcement with regard to pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution. In addition, particular attention must be given to the specific points of the supply chain where vulnerabilities exist, such as entry points with wholesalers and pharmacists.

This area in particular can be strengthened by ensuring that all players involved in the supply chain deal only with “Certified Partners” that have been approved and licensed by the competent authorities “to ensure the integrity of the supply chain, a pre-requisite of an effective anti-counterfeiting strategy in the medicines market”.

The paper also points out the need for particular attention to the sale of pharmaceuticals over the Internet, while insisting that expensive technological solutions should only be used for particular problems—such as high-priced life-style drugs—to avoid wasting resources on products not under threat.

Similarly, the paper calls for targeted measures against counterfeit medicines destined for use in developing countries, given the particular characteristics of these countries and their healthcare systems as compared with the European Union.

Read the position paper

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