E-DRUG: Public Campaign Warns Citizens of Dangers of Counterfeit Medicines in Cambodia
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Dear All,
Please see the below press release.
Best regards,
Francine Pierson
USP
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Francine Pierson
301/816-8588; fp@usp.org
Public Campaign Warns Citizens of Dangers of Counterfeit Medicines in
Cambodiaand Greater MekongSubregion
USAID, USP Screen Public Service Announcements, Documentary to
Raise Awareness of Serious Public Health Threat in Developing
Countries
October 8, 2009, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
As part of a large-scale effort
to combat the dire public health consequences of counterfeit medicines
on citizens in developing countries, a public service announcement (PSA)
campaign is being launched in Cambodia this week by the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United States
Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention—with the cooperation and support of
authorities in Cambodia. The PSAs are being broadcast nationally on
Cambodian television and throughout Southeast Asia, where the
proliferation of substandard and counterfeit medicines intended to treat
HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other life-threatening conditions
remains a major threat to the lives and livelihood of citizens
struggling with these diseases.
Translated into five languages, the 'Pharmacide' PSAs are being
screened at an October 8th ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, by Flynn
Fuller, USAID Cambodia Mission director; Patrick Lukulay, Ph.D.,
director of USP's Drug Quality and Information (DQI) Program, which is
supported by USAID; and Mark Hammond of Living Films, who directed the
PSAs as well as a short documentary that is also being screened. The
PSA campaign is an activity of the DQI Program. Implemented by USP, a
nonprofit scientific organization that develops globally recognized
standards for the quality of medicines, the DQI Program advances
strategies to improve the quality of medicines on four continents. A key
function of the program is rooting out substandard and counterfeit
medicines, which the World Health Organization estimates account for
between 10 and 30 percent of all medicines in the developing world.
'Counterfeit and substandard medicines pose a grave threat to patients
in Southeast Asia, but their presence in these countries remains a
largely unknown problem,' said Mr. Fuller. 'These poor-quality medicines
can contribute to adverse reactions in patients, including protracted
illness and death, but may go undetected as severe symptoms and death
may be wrongly attributed to the course of their disease. This is a fate
that no one deserves. It is a problem that USAID, USP and national
authorities take very seriously, and we hope to reach patients directly
through this PSAcampaign.'
'Though they may look similar or almost identical to the intended
medicine, counterfeit drugs may contain little or no active ingredient,”
added Dr. Lukulay. 'It can be very difficult for patients to discern any
difference, often requiring complex testing to determine the
authenticity of a medicine. However, the difference can truly be life
and death, which is why it is so essential for citizens to purchase
medicines from a licensed pharmacy. The PSAs underscore the consequences
of purchasing these drugs through alternative means, which is
unfortunately an attractive option among an economically deprived
population because of the lower cost. We hope that once citizens are
made aware of the consequences, they will not look at this as a viable
alternative.'
Further compounding the problem, Lukulay added, 'not only do
substandard drugs affect the individual taking them, but those that
contain some but not all of an active ingredient can contribute to the
development of drug-resistant strains of these diseases. This is a
serious public health threat in developing countries, impacting not only
the individual patient but the greater population of citizens, all of
whom may suffer when a medicine is no longer effective because
resistance has developed.'
The PSAs show the life cycle of a counterfeit drug from the
counterfeiter to the dealer to the victim. It notes that 'counterfeiting
is a crime against humanity, against you,' and urges citizens to always
use a licensed pharmacy when purchasing medicines.
Through the DQI Program, USP advances the quality of medicines via a
variety of activities that include implementing active surveillance
programs in which medicines are taken off the market and tested;
establishing 'sentinel sites' within countries to perform testing; and
training local chemists working in government laboratories, medical
students and other qualified parties to conduct such testing in a
cost-effective manner.
To view the PSA and video from the event, visit
www.youtube.com/uspharmacopeia. For more information, please visit
www.usp.org ( http://www.usp.org/ )or email mediarelations@usp.org.