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Counterfeit (fake) medicine
The counterfeiting of medicines has
developed into an industry that kills hundreds of thousands
of people a year and can be associated with organised crime.
Counterfeit medicines affect 10 % of the world medicines
market and the resulting losses are estimated at about 500
billion euros a year.
It remains a low-risk, high-profit activity as prosecution
is burdensome, sanctions are weak and inter-state
cooperation is deficient. Especially worrying is the growth
in sales of medicines over the Internet which could lead to
uncontrolled transborder trade in medical products that
could be dangerous to public health.
The Council of Europe is involved in the standardisation of
medicines (European Pharmacopoeia), the European testing
programme for marketed medicines supplied in pharmacies and
hospitals, blood transfusion and organ transplantation, and
the fight against counterfeit medicines. The "MEDICRIME" Convention, which was adopted on 8 December 2010 and is open to non-European countries, aims to combat counterfeit and illegal medicines and healthcare products, including those being offered on the Internet.
