The International Institute for Research against Counterfeit Medicines(IRACM), the world’s leading organization dedicated entirely to the fight against counterfeit medical products across the globe, has welcomed the decision by Heads of State and Government in Africa who met in Bamako, Mali, to “go further in uniting efforts to counter terrorism and illicit trafficking.”
Their commitment underlines the “serious dangers, especially for their populations’ health, of the rise in fake medicine trafficking by transnational criminal organizations in Africa. The Heads of State and Government have agreed to fight against this scourge through a comprehensive and coherent strategy.”
The decision at the highest state level marks a strong commitment to tackle pharmaceutical crime, which claims hundreds of thousands of lives each year and creates increased resistance to all kinds of drugs.
Specific container interception operations conducted since 2012 by the World Customs Organization (WCO), with the support of IRACM, have resulted in over 750 million illegal drugs being intercepted at African ports. The results of the latest operation (ACIM), which was implemented in 16 African countries, will be released before the end of January.
“At the end of the summit, IRACM intends to provide further assistance and expertise to ensure that this strong commitment creates an effective partnership to repress this potentially deadly criminal trafficking”, said IRACM’s Director, Bernard Leroy.
He added, “For this combat to be truly effective, several priorities need to be put in place in Africa.I will name three: Ensuring that governments have all the necessary legislation and that they are using it effectively. Achieving effective legal assistance between the authorities in those countries targeted by fake medicine traffickers and tracing their origins. Lastly, implementing an information and prevention policy.”
Media Contact: Corinne Hoff : +33 1 69 74 58 11 – corinne.hoff@iracm.com