By Martin Banks - 30th September 2009
A huge percentage of counterfeit medicines are sold via the Net
Marisa Matias
A conference in parliament has been told that urgent action is needed to combat the fast-growing problem of fake drugs.
Latest figures point to a huge 384 per cent rise in seizures of counterfeit medicines, which now represents the third biggest category of customs seizures in the EU.
A conference, called, "Making Patient Safety a Priority," was told that the European commission plans action against the counterfeiters with its pharmaceutical health package proposal.
But German ALDE deputy Jorgo Chatzimarkakis wants to see remedial action now before the legislative process runs its course.
He said, "There is a pressing need to deal with this threat through both practical and legislative measures as quickly as possible.
Another keynote spaker at the event on Wednesday was Portuguese deputy Marisa Matias, parliament´s rapporteur on the package, who highlighted what she says are "gaps" in the draft law.
These include the problem of sales of drugs on the internet, by far the most profitable outlet to counterfeiters.
Matias said, " We all know that a huge percentage of counterfeit medicines are sold via the Net. The question is - how is the draft directive going to tackle this?"
Dr Di Giorgio, of the Italian Medicines Agency, outlined what his country is doing to address the issue,saying, "While it is not impossible for illegal medicines to find their way onto the market in Italy, the system we have in place makes this both difficult and very expensive for counterfeiters," he said.
In two of these member states, Belgium and Greece, the unique number is checked with the UK-based patient safety communications company Aegate to establish its authenticity.
The conference was told that in 2007 and on the basis of seizures by customs agencies, Switzerland overtook India as the main fake medicines exporter to the EU.
Some of the drugs originating in the Far East have been found to contain cement and brick dust, and be coloured with ink from computer printer cartons, it was said.
It is not known whether anyone has suffered side effects, but Dr Jonathan Harper, who was hired by the Council of Europe to write a report on the counterfeit trade, believes it is probable that there have already been deaths in the UK caused by fake medicines.
The conference heard that the counterfeiters have moved from producing "lifestyle" drugs, such as viagra and hair loss, to those meant for serious medical conditions, such as cancer and people with heart problems.
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