Health threat from counterfeit drugs and strategies for its prevention in Armenia

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified counterfeiting drugs as a problem in 1985 at the Nairobi Conference of Experts on the Rational Use of Drugs. The number of reports of fake drugs over the last 10 years has been increasing. Moreover, circulation of counterfeit drugs is 2.5 times higher in developing countries than in developed ones. Drug counterfeiting is a criminal activity, because it poses significant public health risk; it continues to create a threat to health by causing injury and even death in many countries. The problem of counterfeit drugs is a worldwide problem, and it has also touched Armenia. From 1996 to 2002, about 60 counterfeit drugs of different country manufacturers were identified in Armenia. There are several factors contributing to drug counterfeiting in Armenia, such as growing pharmaceutical industry, poor pharmaceutical regulation, high drug prices, value added tax, prescription of drugs without registration, and lack of public awareness. The objective of this paper is to suggest preventive measures against drug counterfeiting in Armenia to minimize the health threat of fake drugs to the population. Among possible strategies the priority is given to the one that is more feasible, has long-term effectiveness and fewer limitations; consumer education is recognized as the most appropriate policy to minimize the threat of drug counterfeiting and assure that patients receive safe and effective medications. The evaluation of the proposed intervention will be based on assessment of people’s knowledge concerning drug counterfeiting and the number of reports to the Drug Regulatory Authority ( DRA) about counterfeit drugs.