E-DRUG: Counterfeit medicines: the silent epidemic (7)
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A new report from the Campaign for Fighting Diseases should be of interest
to the discussion on counterfeit medicines.
Every year, thousands of people in lower-income countries die due to taking
counterfeit drugs. The problem appears to be getting worse. The boom in
counterfeit drugs in less-developed countries is also threatening the
integrity of Western pharmaceutical markets.
This new report from the Campaign for Fighting Diseases shows what steps
need to be taken to undermine the supply of fake drugs. Most of all,
lower-income countries need to limit the counterfeiters' room to operate -
and this requires strengthening and properly enforcing the rule of law.
The report can be accessed here:
http://www.fightingdiseases.org/pdf/ipn_counterfeit.pdf
Alec van Gelder,
Research Fellow
International Policy Network
alec@policynetwork.net
[Moderator comment: I am however not sure that the proposed solutions for developing countries (higher Intellectual Property protection through TRIPS and Free Trade Agreements) are the best way to fight counterfeits...
Anyway, this paper reflects the way how big business looks at these issues. WB]