E-DRUG: INCB: Abuse of prescription drugs surpasses narcotic drug abuse (2)
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[Who should take the lead in this fight against illicit trade in pharmaceuticals?
INCB has only a small secretariat, and hardly any budget. They know the problems but can do little except raising the issue.
National Drug Regulatory Authorities are responsible for market control, but have not enough resources, have poor links with national law enforcing agencies and are not internationally organised. Maybe we need an international cyber-drug-interpol?
WHO has a global mandate and has been campaigning with IMPACT on the policy level; howwever the action has to come from its members (countries).
Any suggestions amongst e-druggers how to tackle this global illicit trade?
WB]
Dear E-Druggers,
The 2005 Council of Europe Report on Counterfeit Medicines highlighted the
importance of the involvement of the INCB in attempts to deal with the
counterfeit medicine / pharmaceutical crime issue, so as to come up with a
global solution to this problem.
I myself contacted the INCB about this in 2004 and 2005. The response I got
was that "fake drugs are not an issue for the INCB, they are the problem of
national regulatory authorities".
Dr Jonathan Harper
Author of Council of Europe Report on Counterfeit Medicines
Dunasetany 5-7
Budakalasz 2011
Hungary
Tel: +36 26 340 038
Mobile: +36 70 240 3780
jrharper@axelero.hu
[The Council of Europe survey can be ordered at http://book.coe.int/EN/ficheouvrage.php?PAGEID=36&lang=EN&produit_aliasid=2025]