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In recent years, the number of falsified and counterfeit medications infiltrating the supply chain has become a growing problem for global health organisations and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Not only have there been cost implications, but there are also huge risks to patient safety.
The WHO references illegitimate medications as substandard and falsified medical products, with falsified medicines defined as “medical products that deliberately/ fraudulently misrepresent their identity, composition, or source” (1).
According to the WHO, about one in 10 pharmaceutical products in low and middle income countries are either substandard or falsified (2). The WHO also reported that, as of November 2017, “20 global medical product alerts and numerous regional warnings” had been issued, with “technical support provided in more than 100 cases” (2).
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