The Council of Europe is launching a program to combat counterfeit medicines with a seminar in Strasbourg from 21 to 23 September 2005. It will bring together all Council of Europe member states, European associations of trade and industry, healthcare professionals and patients’ organizations, institutions of the European Union and international organizations to draw up measures against counterfeiting that will work. Counterfeit medicines are deliberately and fraudulently mislabelled, and they are on the increase in Europe, with estimates ranging from 6% to 20% of market shares in certain regions. They present substantial health risks to Europe’s citizens, including potential fatalities.
Europe Combats Counterfeits
Center for Medicine in the Public Interest is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization promoting innovative solutions that advance medical progress, reduce health disparities, extend life and make health care more affordable, preventive and patient-centered. CMPI also provides the public, policymakers and the media a reliable source of independent scientific analysis on issues ranging from personalized medicine, food and drug safety, health care reform and comparative effectiveness.
