Back Conference “The MEDICRIME Convention on the counterfeiting of medical products and the protection of public health in Italy", Brescia, Italy, 16-17 November 2023

Conference “The MEDICRIME Convention on the counterfeiting of medical products and the protection of public health in Italy

The Council of Europe, in co-operation with the Università degli Studi di Brescia - Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza-, organised a conference entitled “The MEDICRIME Convention on the counterfeiting of medical products and the protection of public health in Italy" held in Brescia, Italy, on 16-17 November 2023.

The aim of the conference was :

  • to encourage the adoption by Italy of better strategies to combat the counterfeiting of health medical products;
  • to encourage the ratification by Italy of the MEDICRIME Convention, which was opened for signature on 28 October 2011 and signed by Italy but not ratified;
  • to raise awareness in both the academic context and among national actors working in the field;
  • to discuss the benefits and challenges in ratifying the Convention;
  • to exchange experiences, encourage the dissemination of know-how and reinforce collaboration between the national actors.

At the end of the conference a Declaration was adopted.

Representatives from the academia, legal actors as well as representatives from the AIFA and the Carabinieri addressed the participants and expressed their strong support towards the Council of Europe’s efforts to combat the counterfeiting of medical products and other similar crimes.

Brescia, Italy 17 November 2023
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Covid 19

At a time when the Covid-19 epidemic is posing unprecedented challenges to the health sector, the Council of Europe calls on governments to be extremely vigilant against counterfeit or falsified medicines and medical products. Faced with this threat, states can rely on the MEDICRIME Convention to safeguard public health and target the criminal behaviour of those who, like criminal networks, take advantage of the loopholes in our systems and of the current crisis.

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"In recent years, occurrences of counterfeiting of medical products and similar crimes have increased worldwide. These crimes endanger public health, and affect patients and their confidence in the legal marketplace.

Even more profitable than drug trafficking, this new form of crime has an undeniable advantage for criminals: they go largely unpunished or receive only mild sanctions. Even when states take strict measures to regulate the production and distribution of medical products and devices, these measures often prove insufficient, especially when criminal networks find gaps in national legislations allowing them to make substantial profits at the expense of people’s lives and health. The MEDICRIME Convention was drafted to protect vulnerable patients and their right to safe access to medicines of appropriate quality, and to fight against organised crime. As the first and only international treaty dealing with this problem, the convention aims at prosecuting the counterfeiting of medical products and similar crimes, protecting the rights of victims and promoting national and international co-operation."

Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni
Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe