Remedica fights counterfeit pharmaceuticals

Remedica hosted a working group meeting with all stakeholders organised by the Cyprus Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, with the aim of discussing the provisions and consequences of the new legislation on anti-counterfeiting (Directive 211/62/EU) and to decide on the way forward. Present were representatives from the Pharmaceutical services of the Cyprus Ministry of Health, the Cyprus Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (CYPHAMA), the Pharmaceutical and Chemical Industries Association (PharChem), the Cyprus Association of Pharmaceutical Companies (SFEK), the Cyprus Association of Research and Development Pharmaceutical Companies (KEFEA), the Cyprus Pharmacists Association and the Pharmaceutical Wholesalers (Pharmalink, Mefal, KEDIFAP, Marathon). The meeting was heralded as a success and made a good start to what promises to be a long and difficult way ahead but everyone agreed that the cultivation of a “pharmaceutical culture” is of paramount importance and this encompasses measures to ensure the protection of patients from counterfeit/falsified medicinal products. It is estimated that every year 10% of the medicinal products that they find their way to the worldwide market are counterfeit/falsified with a total cost of $80 billion.