[e-drug] Lancet on recent conference on counterfeiting

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E-drug: Lancet on recent conference on counterfeiting
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[Report from the recent conference on counterfeiting. Copied as fair use.
KM]

Lancet 2002; 360: 1080 (5 October) - free
http://www.thelancet.com/journal/vol360/iss9339/full/llan.360.9339.news.2268
0.1

Counterfeit drug problem "underestimated", says conference

One of the most comprehensive conferences to date on counterfeit
pharmaceuticals, held in Geneva Sept 22-25, reached the conclusion that
there is a glaring lack of political will to tackle a seriously
underestimated problem.

As if to underline the point, the meeting was organised by Reconaissance
International, a private consultancy, "with the participation", but not
leadership, of WHO and was held at a luxury lakeside hotel rather than just
up the road at the health agency's headquarters. Some 200 delegates from
regulatory and health authorities, pharmaceutical industry, and technology
companies vowed to step up efforts to combat counterfeiting, but offered no
quick solutions.

"There is no single country which can be called a safe haven, where there is
no counterfeiting", said Lembit Rago, head of drug quality at WHO. "It's a
global problem and it needs global action." Asked why WHO was not pushing
for an international convention against counterfeit drugs similar to the
emerging anti-tobacco treaty, Rago pointed the finger at lack of national
interest.

At present, of 191 WHO member states only 20% are known to have well
developed drug regulation, about 50% implement drug regulation at varying
levels of development. The remaining 30% have neglible or no drug
regulation, he said. There has been no full international survey, but
estimates from WHO and the pharmaceutical industry suggest that at least 5%
of medicines in circulation may be counterfeit. A paper from manufacturers
Merck, Sharp, and Dohme suggested the rate of counterfeiting in Peru to be
as high as 80%, with the criminals using existing narcotics routes and black
market cartels.

In an impassioned speech, Dora Akunyili, director-general of Nigeria's
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, pleaded for
the international community "to unite in this fight against drug menace just
as it has done for polio, malaria, HIV/AIDS". One study found that nearly
half the drug samples taken from pharmacies in Nigeria were defective.
"HIV/AIDS can be avoided, malaria can be prevented, but fake drugs kill en
masse, and anyone can be a victim", said Akunyili.

"Fake drugs are implicated in kidney failure, liver damage, heart failure,
and other organ dysfunctions, as well as in worsening of chronic disease
conditions, such as hypertension", she continued. "The situation is so bad
that even when patients are treated with genuine antiobiotics, they no
longer respond positively due to resistance induced by previous intake of
fake antibiotics."

She said Nigerians who could afford it travelled abroad for medical
treatment rather than risk being given harmful drugs. Local pharmaceutical
manufacturers cannot compete against the fake products--often imported from
China or India.

Gerard Norris, the Asia-Pacific representative of the Pharmaceutical
Research Manufacturers Association of America said criminals throughout the
world had discovered "a soft and lucrative underbelly of global healthcare".
"They have learnt that counterfeiting of medicines is financially lucrative
and relatively low risk. A Golden Goose, in other words."

Clare Kapp



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