WCO details weaknesses in fighting fake medicines
Cited a lack of consumer awareness and inadequate legal frameworks, among eight major challenges
The Secretary-General of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) has detailed how the world is woefully unprepared to fight counterfeit medicines that can harm or even kill patients.
Kunio Mikuriya, speaking at a conference on the Illicit Trafficking of Fraudulent Medicines, held in Vienna, Austria, mentioned eight major challenges. These include the lack of consumer awareness; insufficient knowledge by frontline customs officers; not enough cooperation with the private sector; the need for better coordination with other agencies; inadequate legal frameworks to empower customs [officers]; unregulated free trade zones; the growing number of small parcels as a result of Internet trade[s]; and the unsatisfactory level of political will.
Mikuriya stressed that the customs community had not been idle and had, for instance, been improving its technological response to the trade in fake medicines, such as using the WCO’s Interface Public Members (IPM) anti-counterfeiting tool.
Coordination of operations between the private sector, health, police and other public agencies is also improving.
Worryingly, in parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America, fraudulent medicines are thought to amount to as much as 30% of the market
Mikuriya also welcomed improved cooperation with other international organisations, such as the Universal Postal Union (UPU), which has said postal data can now be sent to customs officers ahead of a packet’s delivery.
Also speaking at the conference was Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), who said that the UN Convention on Transnational Organised Crime could help fight this illicit trade by forcing signatory governments to exchange information and use their investigative powers.
‘Worryingly, in parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America, fraudulent medicines are thought to amount to as much as 30% of the market,’ the conference notes said.
The conference followed the success of an international police operation called Icebreaker, which focused on the Caribbean and Central America, led by Interpol, and seized more than 360 tonnes of illicit drug precursor chemicals.