12/03/2010 Standing Committee
"The Parliamentary Assembly is increasingly concerned about the serious threat posed by counterfeit medicines to the life and health of vulnerable people and patients in Europe and elsewhere. The recent development of cross-border care and the introduction of on-line pharmaceutical sales and direct e-mail ordering have amplified the problem", concluded Bernard Marquet (Monaco, ALDE) today at the PACE Standing Committee meeting in Paris.
Adopting its report, the Assembly welcomed the draft convention of the Council of Europe on counterfeiting of medical products and similar crimes involving threats to public health as the first binding international legal instrument to criminalise the counterfeiting of medical products. The PACE proposed amendments to the convention, in particular with a view to strengthening protection for patients of all ages who might use counterfeit medical products.