A Workshop on
Anti-Counterfeiting of Pharmaceutical Products

Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila
15, 17, 19 January 2007

Above: H.E. Fadilah Supari, Minister of Health of Indonesia, gave the keynote remarks during the workshop in Jakarta, 15 January 2007.

BACKGROUND
The World Health Organization observes that counterfeit drugs are currently estimated to account for more than 10% of the global medicines trade. The problems of counterfeit drugs are a threat to public health and to a country’s economic resources. Counterfeit drugs are not always identified or reported and if unable to be identified, counterfeit drugs are unknowingly taken and sick people end up sicker or even die.

The problems of counterfeit drugs are simply a threat to public health and safety and pose significant danger to the pharmaceutical industry in each country.

There is a genuine need to share information on counterfeit pharmaceuticals between government and industry and to collectively take measures against both the counterfeiters of drugs and the proliferation of such products so as to safeguard the health of the public. Manufacturing and distribution of counterfeit pharmaceuticals has grown into a multi-billion dollar criminal activity. The Centre for Medicines in the Public Interest, USA, has projected that counterfeit drug sales will reach $75 billion in 2010, an astounding 92 percent increase from 2005. Unless there are actions taken against counterfeit activity, the development of necessary new drugs will be hindered when ineffective or toxic counterfeits continue to subsist.

The goal of these workshops is to raise the awareness level of the public health and social problems associated with counterfeit pharmaceuticals in ASEAN. Through the sharing of best practices and addressing these problems with public-private partnerships, this will help facilitate the ASEAN government’s capabilities for enforcement measures taken specifically for pharmaceuticals.

July: ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting (AHMM). Philippines. Contact: Susan McKinney at smckinney@usasean.org

August: Health & Life Sciences Working Group Meeting. Singapore. Contact: Susan McKinney at smckinney@usasean.org

August 4-9: ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting.. Philippines. Contact: Susan McKinneu at smckinney@usasean.org

November: Health & Life Sciences Working Group Meeting. Singapore. Contact: Susan McKinney at smckinney@usasean.org

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Above: Jeff Gren of US Dept of Commerce, Health and Consumer Goods, Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology is one of the panelists during the Workshop

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