FIP activities against counterfeit medicines

FIP Statement on counterfeit medicines

In 1999, FIP adopted a statement on counterfeit medicines during the Council meeting at the FIP Congress in Barcelona. Because of the growing and changing aspect of this major public health care issue, FIP has updated its Policy statement on counterfeit medicines in 2003 during its Council meeting at the FIP Congress in Sydney. You can download this statement on our website here. This statement is a strong political message of the pharmacists’ profession to support the fight against counterfeit medicines to protect the safety of their patients.

 

Collaboration with other international organisations

1. IMPACT

In 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) established an international medical products anti-counterfeiting taskforce (IMPACT), which is a voluntary grouping of governments, organisations, institutions, agencies and associations from developing and developed countries aimed at sharing expertise, identifying problems, seeking solutions, coordinating activities and working towards the common goal of fighting counterfeit medical products. IMPACT aims at ensuring appropriate regional representation, including in particular from developing countries. Since the inception of IMPACT, FIP, representing the World Health Professions Alliance (WHPA) has been leading the IMPACT Working Group on Communications. A series of advocacy activities, including the development of materials, such as the WHPA toolkit on counterfeit medicines for health professionals and patients have been made.

 

For further information, please see http://www.who.int/impact/en/index.html

 

2. Council of Europe

In 2003 the Council of Europe established an Ad-hoc group on counterfeit medicines and since 2004, FIP has been  providing  support and working within this group to fight  counterfeit medicines. In 2008, this Ad-hoc group became the Committee of Experts on Minimising public health risks posed by counterfeiting medical products and related crimes (CD-P-PH/CMED). FIP participation in this Committee was confirmed.

This Committee of Experts meets at least twice every year in Strasbourg.

For further information, please see http://www.edqm.eu/en/CD-P-CMED-Committee-of-Experts-on-minimising-the-public-health-risks-posed-by-counterfeiting-of-medical-products-and-related-crimes-CD-P-PHCMED-1330.html

 

3. World Health Professions Alliance

FIP is one of the founding members of the World Health Professions Alliance (WHPA) which gathers organisations representing medical doctors, pharmacists, nurses and dentists.

In 2008, the WHPA developed a communication toolkit aiming at raising awareness on counterfeit medicines among health professionals and providing some tools and strategies for detecting counterfeit medicines and for safely informing colleagues and patients.

This toolkit includes:

  1. An overview of the situation and suggestions as to what health professionals can do to help fight counterfeit medicines
  2. A reporting form that can be copied and used to report any suspected counterfeit (This form serves as a model and does not replace any existing ones in-country)
  3. A visual inspection check list that can be used if a counterfeit medicine is suspected
  4. An information leaflet that you can share with colleagues
  5. A patient information leaflet for distribution to patients or in community areas
  6. A poster that can be put in community pharmacy windows


Creating specific and practical tools for pharmacists

1. Tool for visual inspection

This document has been produced by the International Council of Nurses in partnership with the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) and modified by the Military and Emergency Pharmacists Section of FIP. The tool is designed to help health professionals carry out a visual inspection of medicines for signs of counterfeiting such as improper packaging, labeling or description of dosage. All suspicious products with incorrect labels, missing information about the strength, dosage, or expiration date should be reported to the appropriate national authority or to the WHO or FIP.

     Download English version here

     Download Spanish version here

     Download French version here

     Download German version here

     Download Dutch version here

 

2. Guide for pharmacists

FIP has developed a framework to facilitate the creation of a guide for pharmacists on counterfeit medicines. This document is available to FIP member organisations in English, French and Spanish and has been validated by the IMPACT working group on Communications.

This document suggests organizations and key elements to be included in a national guide for pharmacists. It also provides member organizations with some texts and indicates which part of the text should be updated in accordance to national situation.

Are you a member organisation of the FIP? Login on here to download  the Guide. If you have any question on its application and on its content, please email us at profession@fip.org

 

Raising awareness and educating pharmacists and their leaders.

FIP has published several articles targeting pharmacists in their fight against counterfeit medicines.

You will find below a copy of some of these articles, reprinted with permission from Pharma Publishing and Media Europe:

Copyright (C) 2008 Pharma Publishing & Media Europe.  All rights reserved.

 

Moreover, during its previous congresses,  FIP organised many conferences on counterfeit medicines to sensitise pharmacists and pharmacy leaders on the increasing risks and dangers for patients.

You will find below the presentations of the last Congresses sessions dedicated to Counterfeit medicines:

 

1) 2008 Congress in Basel: Combating counterfeit medicines in Africa

Chair: Valerio Reggi, World Health Organization, Switzerland

  • Strengthening African borders in combating counterfeit medicines – The need for enforcement: Part 1 and Part 2
    Ziad Nassour, CIOPF, Lebanon
  • A law enforcement perspective on effective risk communications about counterfeit medicines: Part 1 and Part 2
    Michael Tshinavha, Border Control Coordinating Committee, South Africa

 

2) 2007 Congress: BPP/BPS Joint symposium on Counterfeit medicines (part I)

Chairs: Jeffrey Gren, Office of Health Consumer Goods, USA and Nancy Blum, United States Pharmacopeia, USA

  • IMPACT update
    Valerio Reggi, World Health Organization, Switzerland

 

3) 2007 Congress: BPP/BPS Joint Symposium on Counterfeit medicines (part II)

Chair: Jane Nicholson, FIP Working Group on Counterfeit medicines, UK

  • Modern Screening methods in action: presentation not available
    Tony Moffat, University of London, UK

 

4) 2006 Congress: Combating counterfeiting (part 1)

Co-Chairs: Tom Sam, FIP Industrial Pharmacy Section, the Netherlands and José Maldonado, Evidence Saluções Farmacêuticas Ltda, Brazil.

  • Government action: presentation not available
    Dora Akunyili, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Nigeria

 

5) 2006 Congress: Combating counterfeiting (part 2)

Co-Chairs: Frans van der Vaart, FIP Laboratories and Medicines Control Services Section, the Netherlands.

  • Screening tests
    Thomas Layloff, Partnership for Supply Chain Management, USA
  • Action by industry: presentation not available
    Tom Kubic, Pharmaceutical Security Institute, USA