PHARMABIZ.com examines India’s push for clearer definition of counterfeit, substandard medicines

"India has taken the lead to get together a number of generic drug-producing nations to call for better definitions to ensure quality, strengthening of regulatory authorities in the respective countries, and bringing focus of the world to public health instead of intellectual property," PHARMABIZ.com writes in an article that examines the recent meeting of leaders from Brazil, India and South Africa on issues regarding counterfeit medicines. "The initiative came as an inter-governmental working group, appointed by the World Health Assembly last year, is looking at the WHO's role to ensure the availability of quality, safe and efficacious and affordable medicine," according to the new service.

During the meeting, experts focused on the need to clarify the definition of such terms as counterfeit and substandard medications, as well as the need to "bolster national regulatory capacity," PHARMABIZ.com writes.

"Special rapporteur to the United Nations Anand Grover said there is a push for conflating counterfeit medicines with genuine generics," the news service writes. The article also includes comments by Indian Ambassador to the U.N. Gopinathan Achamkulangare on what he describes as "[t]he deliberate confusion … created by some interest groups."

"India is concerned about drug consignments that in the European Union were subject to 'numerous seizures' and is further concerned about TRIPS and TRIPS-plus trends initiated by 'some developed countries in bilateral and regional' initiatives, such as the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), he said," according to PHARMABIZ.com (Alexander, 10/28).