EU funds African falsified medicines project

The EU has launched a new €4m project to fight the trafficking of falsified medicines along key trade routes serving developing countries in Africa.

The project will target two routes for the production and trafficking in falsified medicines: from the Arabian Peninsula and Middle East to West/Central Africa; and from East/Horn of Africa - via Yemen and Sudan - to Central Africa.

The main aims of the project are to update the legislative framework related to the production and circulation of falsified medicines, develop national strategies to combat the trade as well as strength collaboration between national and regional health, regulatory and enforcement agencies.

It will also focus on enhancing the legal capacity to prosecute offenders, information sharing and awareness-raising campaigns.

Commenting on the initiative, European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs said: "Falsified medicines have become an important source of income for organised crime groups, with extremely high returns, hampering the peaceful development of these countries."

"With this project we will provide training – to support investigation and criminal justice services, as well as to provide technical support – to detect and analyse suspicious medicines and raise awareness of the risks related to the use of falsified medicines," he added.