In a large-scale operation led by the World Customs Organisation (WCO), in association with the International Institute of Research Against Counterfeit Medicines (IRACM), a total of 113 million fake pharmaceutical products have been seized following inspections of 290 containers at 15 African ports.
The operation took place over a 10-day period this spring but its results were only presented at a press conference in Paris last week.
In a large-scale operation led by the World Customs Organisation (WCO), in association with the International Institute of Research Against Counterfeit Medicines (IRACM), a total of 113 million fake pharmaceutical products have been seized following inspections of 290 containers at 15 African ports.
The operation took place over a 10-day period this spring but its results were only presented at a press conference in Paris last week.
“The number of interceptions effected during this operation shows once again the scope of the scourge of illicit and counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs in Africa,” said WCO secretary general, Kunio Mikuriya.
Most of the fake medicines were uncovered in ports in Benin, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and many of them had been shipped from either China or India. The operation also included ports in Angola, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Togo.
A majority of the counterfeit pharma seized by African Customs authorities were related to primary care such as analgesics, anti-inflammatories and antibiotics but also included therapeutic drugs, for example, those to treat tuberculosis.
The operation also resulted in, for the first time, significant detection of illicit veterinary products.
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