Stronger legal penalties needed to protect against drug counterfeiters
Counterfeit medicines: Europe relatively safe but there are growing
risks |
If Europe is to be protected from the threat of counterfeit medicines stronger legal penalties for counterfeiters are required, according to a report published this week by the School of Pharmacy at the University of London.
The report, supported by Pfizer and entitled “Trick or treat?”,
points out that there is no offence of counterfeiting under the UK Medicines
Act 1968, for example. And it highlights the fact that, although dealers
in illicit drugs can receive life imprisonment, pharmaceutical counterfeiters
face up to only two years in prison. Greater deterrents are likely to
act as a disincentive, the report concludes.
According to co-author David Taylor, professor of pharmaceutical and
public health policy at the school, Europe is relatively safe from counterfeit
medicines, compared with Africa and Asia. “But there are growing
risks, which will get worse if, for example, people believe that they
cannot get new medicines that may benefit them for conditions such as
cancer, dementia or influenza from publicly funded services,” he
warned.
That is why the report also supports better controls over internet pharmacy
and medicines trading, and greater freedom for European pharmaceutical
companies to provide information for patients about licensed medicines,
he added.
The report argues that the EU needs stronger policies to cut the risks
of patients being given fake medicines. For example, shortening medicines
supply chains between medicines manufacturers and pharmacies should help
protect the public from counterfeit medicines.
It says that the present medicines trading system encourages traders
to buy modern medicines cheaply in parts of Europe where governments
impose low prices and sell them on in new packaging in EU member states
where government-controlled prices are higher. People think this saves
money, the report goes on, but the evidence explored indicates that it
is in fact undermining European economic interests and may on occasions
have created a pharmacy culture that increases counterfeit medicine hazards.
It suggests that, while protection of consumers is being strengthened,
the possibility of suspending the free movement of medicines across EU
internal borders “deserves open-minded attention”.
Speaking at the launch of the report at the House of Commons on 22 November,
Anthony Smith, dean of the School of Pharmacy, said: “The threat
of counterfeiting shows the necessity of having an expert in the science
of medicines in the health care team. Pharmacists are key to getting
well-informed information about counterfeit medicines out to the public.”
“Trick or treat? Opportunities for European action on health improvement,
innovation and the threat of medicines counterfeiting” is available
from Professor Taylor (e-mail david.taylor@pharmacy.ac.uk).
Agenda for
2006 p638 |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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