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Pfizer Ltd has urged the British Government and European authorities to commit to actions to safeguard the integrity of the medicines supply chain across Europe.
This came after the recent discovery of a quantity of counterfeit Pfizer medicine in the UK medicine supply chain.
This discovery serves as a strong reminder, according to the medical product firm, of the vulnerability of the distribution system in much of Europe, which is being exploited with increasing frequency, it is claimed, by criminals who are putting the safety of patients, who depend upon prescription medicines to maintain their level of health, at risk.
What they say
Kate Lloyd, Medical Director of Pfizer UK said: โPatient safety is our top concern and we are seriously alarmed at the discovery of counterfeit medicine in the UK. Patient safety is at risk if counterfeit products can easily be introduced into the supply chain through cross border trade, as patients will not gain the benefits their doctor intended when ing their medicine.โ
Pfizer says that the British Government and the European authorities should consider:
outlawing the repackaging of original manufacturerโs medicines by third parties.
supporting the introduction of tamper-resistant medicines packaging and new medicine delivery mechanisms in Europe.
·Introducing a standardised, European barcode system for medicines – allowing for their safe recall and identification.
committing greater resources to combat the increasing involvement of organised crime in medicines counterfeiting.
applying of stricter penalties to those found guilty of counterfeiting medicines or knowingly supplying counterfeit medicines.
The recent incident related to the discovery of a specific batch of counterfeit Lipitor (Atorvastatin) 20mg, batch number 004405K1. Pfizer adds that it is working with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and law enforcement agencies to conduct a full and thorough investigation into this incident with the aim that those involved are subject to criminal proceedings.
Pfizer reports that it is aggressively addressing the counterfeiting of its products and has introduced a number of policies and technologies to protect the integrity of its medicines including the phased introduction of tamper evident packaging. This is one of the ways in which the counterfeit medicine was able to be identified.
