Counterfeit Medical Products Infiltrating Healthcare Markets

Counterfeit medical products are becoming an international epidemic, according to the World Health Organization (WHO, Geneva, Switzerland), who claims that more than 8% of the medical devices in circulation are imitations.

In response to the growing threat of counterfeit medical products, the WHO created the International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT, Geneva, Switzerland) to raise awareness, mobilize nations, and draft international legislation on counterfeit medical device and drugs. The offending products may be assembled from inferior quality components, or even worse, from fake parts that could contain toxic materials; in either case, the dangers are the same. Counterfeit medical devices pose a significant liability to the manufacturers and a health risk to both the patients and healthcare providers that could result in injury, permanent disability, or even death.


Created in 2006, IMPACT has been active in forging international collaboration to seek global solutions to this global challenge and in raising awareness of the dangers of counterfeit medical products. Among the members are representatives of Interpol, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the World Customs Organization, the World Intellectual Property Organization, the World Trade Organization, Asociacion LatinoAmericana de Industrias Farmaceuticas, The World Bank, The European Commission, the International Council of Nurses, the World Medical Association, Pharmaciens sans frontiers, and many others.

"The potential health risks to consumers aren't the only dangers,” said Steve Delepine, vice president of business development at BrandWatch Technologies (Portland, OR, USA), a leading supplier of brand security and product authentication solutions using advanced covert technologies for in-field verification, product fingerprinting, and forensic investigation. "The effects of legal liabilities, negative branding, and revenue loss can ultimately bankrupt a company.”

In many countries, Internet-based sales are a major source of counterfeit products and drugs, threatening those who seek cheaper, stigmatized, or unauthorized treatments. Illegal Internet pharmacies and medical product suppliers conceal their real identity, operating internationally from a remote location and selling medications and devices without prescriptions, and delivering products or drugs with unknown and unpredictable origins or history.

Related Links:
World Health Organization
International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce
BrandWatch Technologies