Trafficking of substandard and falsified medical products

By Espinosa Bellido Abogados

The World Health Organization (WHO) trained Peruvian Customs and Intellectual Property officials on combating the trafficking of substandard and falsified medical products throughout the Americas and Caribbean region.

Some 30 Customs officers specialized in enforcement and risk management took part in the workshop, during which WHO representatives informed participants about the dangers that substandard and/or falsified medicines pose for public health. The workshop drew attention to the cases of lethal paediatric products recently reported by the WHO Global Surveillance and Monitoring System, while calling on Customs administrations to increase their vigilance at borders.

A representative of the Executive Secretariat of the Council of Europe’s Medicrime Convention also took an active part in the discussions. The Medicrime Convention is a binding legal instrument in the field of criminal law which criminalizes not only counterfeiting but also the manufacture and distribution of medical products placed on the market without authorization or in violation of safety standards.

The workshop was also dedicated to presentations from the private sector. Rights holders representing four pharmaceutical companies presented techniques and best practices for detecting falsified or substandard pharmaceutical products from the perspective of the private sector.

“Customs administrations must protect borders against illicit trafficking and, in particular, against non-compliant, falsified and/or substandard medical products,” stated Ms. Martha Garamendi, Director General of Peru Customs, WCO Vice-Chair for the Americas and Caribbean Region.