E-DRUG: RFI: anti-counterfeit measures? (3)
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Just a short corrective and a comment to the US Pharmacopoeia message sent
by my colleague and friend Abdelkrim Smine.
1. We have undoubtedly to acknowledge that the US Pharmacopoeia, the
Bostonian MSH, and of course the QSM-WHO are doing a very hard and
sustainable work to improve drug quality in developing countries.
The USP DQI division is currently working with us here in Madagascar to
strengthen and improve the drug quality control laboratory (Agence du
M�dicament, Madagascar), and they are doing the same in other African or
Asian countries.
OK, but all those brilliant institutions, whatever their achievements are
definitely not alone !
We have as well to recognize that other institutions are working in the same
direction but in different ways. For instance some bilateral cooperations
(among others) through partnerships leading to the establisment of drug
quality control laboratories (eg, in West Africa, the French in Niger, B�nin
or Madagascar, etc.). In many respects we have also to recognize the work
done by NGOs, naming only MSF. And the least thing is acknowledging the
daily work delivered by many developing countries through their own drug
regulatory authorities, in a difficult context.
The implication of the US-AID, through the prestigious US Pharmacopoeia is
well recognized and above all welcomed. Moreover we can only deplore the
absence of international policy regarding this issue of institutions such as
the EMEA (the European Medicines Agency, London, UK) or the European
Pharmacopoeia (Strasbourg, France).
2. But what is lacking above all - more especially in Africa, is the lack of
cooperation between the existing drug quality control laboratories. Without
collaborations and networking activities at a regional level, no significant
results can be seriously reached in all the anti-counterfeit work and its
huge challenges.
Patrice Trouiller
Technical adviser
Ministry of Health
Madagascar
pat.trouiller@netclub.mg
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