Fake medicines round-up

Over the last week several stories have emerged detailing the battle against fake medicines:

In Vietnam more sales of counterfeit and expired medicines have been revealed. The report details wholesale pharmaceuticals markets, in which some traders sell ineffective fakes, a similar situation as happens in other parts of the world such as India and Nigeria.

Speaking of which, seizures and prosecutions continue in Nigeria- one of the countries to be hardest hit by fake drugs. NAFDAC has impounded 50 cartons of fake drugs in Kano, and in Lagos a man has been arrested on suspicion of dealing in fakes.

Over on the eastern side of the continent, Business Daily says that regional legislation against fakes could be passed as soon as July. This seems like a good move, but it is vital that legislation clearly distinguishes between different types of intellectual property. Anti-counterfeit measures must protect against trademark infringement, with issues of potentially patent-breaking generic medicines remaining a separate issue.

IPN has noted the wonderful prospect of new technologies guarding against counterfeit medicines. However, we have also warned that governments must be careful not to ruin the developments by dictating how systems are implemented across entire industries. Sadly in Turkey it seems like the government is still trying, and failing, to impose their track and trace system on the industry, leading to a frustrating deadlock.