ILLEGAL pharmaceutical activities in the country are on the rise, posing a risk to people’s lives, a health inspectors’ workshop has been told.
Southern region pharmaceutical inspector Wauwa Legu revealed this during the recent health department’s pharmaceutical inspection workshop in Port Moresby.
The theme was “Ensuring a well-regulated and responsible pharmaceutical industry in PNG”.
Legu said those illegally selling drugs and medicine were involved in pharmaceutical crime plus counterfeit and substandard pharmaceuticals.
He said that pharmaceutical crime constituted activities by legitimate pharmaceutical corporations and illegal operators to generate “huge profits”.
“Pharmaceutical crime poses a grave danger to public health. Falsified medicines undermine people’s faith in the health care system, while threatening the lives of the most vulnerable members of society – the sick and frail,” Legu said.
He said it was becoming an international concern because some reputable corporate pharmaceutical companies were engaged in illegal drug smuggling.
He said the European Healthcare Fraud and Corruption Network reported that the number of counterfeit medicine discovered at EU borders increased from 560,598 to 4,081,056 in 2007.
Legu said pharmaceutical crime in PNG involving illegal distribution and dispensing could be minimised with the setting up of a provincial task force comprising pharmaceutical inspectors, police and Customs officers, provincial health inspectors, churches and Urban LLG officials.
He said the solution lay in a strong media to stop people from buying from unlicensed traders.
Southern region pharmaceutical inspector Wauwa Legu revealed this during the recent health department’s pharmaceutical inspection workshop in Port Moresby.
The theme was “Ensuring a well-regulated and responsible pharmaceutical industry in PNG”.
Legu said those illegally selling drugs and medicine were involved in pharmaceutical crime plus counterfeit and substandard pharmaceuticals.
He said that pharmaceutical crime constituted activities by legitimate pharmaceutical corporations and illegal operators to generate “huge profits”.
“Pharmaceutical crime poses a grave danger to public health. Falsified medicines undermine people’s faith in the health care system, while threatening the lives of the most vulnerable members of society – the sick and frail,” Legu said.
He said it was becoming an international concern because some reputable corporate pharmaceutical companies were engaged in illegal drug smuggling.
He said the European Healthcare Fraud and Corruption Network reported that the number of counterfeit medicine discovered at EU borders increased from 560,598 to 4,081,056 in 2007.
Legu said pharmaceutical crime in PNG involving illegal distribution and dispensing could be minimised with the setting up of a provincial task force comprising pharmaceutical inspectors, police and Customs officers, provincial health inspectors, churches and Urban LLG officials.
He said the solution lay in a strong media to stop people from buying from unlicensed traders.
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