GS1 joins the Fight the Fakes campaign aiming to prevent falsified medicines from entering the supply chain

GS1 with its wealth of knowledge and expertise on healthcare standards is joining the Fight the Fakes campaign, it was officially announced in July 2020 in Geneva.

Set up in 2013 by 10 organizations, Fight the Fakes (FTF) now counts 41 partner organizations, representing doctors, nurses, pharmacists, patients, civil society, manufacturers, wholesalers, and industry. Fight the Fakes (FTF) is a campaign that aims to raise awareness about the dangers of fake medicines. The campaign gives a voice to those who have been personally impacted and shares the stories of those working to put a stop to this threat to public health.

Substandard and falsified medicines are an ever-growing problem with the World Health Organization having already estimated in 2017 that one in ten medical products circulating in lower-income countries is fake. The COVID-19 pandemic and widespread rumours and advertisements of effective treatments, vaccines and even “cures” have exposed just how prevalent this issue truly is. Effectively combatting the issue of fake medicine requires efforts on various fronts, ranging from education and awareness raising among the public and health care professionals, strong legislative frameworks, and secure medical supply chains. The latter is the forte of GS1.

GS1 is a global non-profit organization designing standards to improve the efficiency, safety, and visibility of supply chains. The use of standards in healthcare is particularly important as unregulated supply chains enable falsified medicines to enter the market, reach patients, and subsequently endanger their health and well-being.

One of the most commonly known examples of a global standard in healthcare, is the unique bar code visible on medicine packing. The falsified medicines directive introduced by the European Commission uses this method and aims to shield the supply chain from an influx of substandard and falsified medicines in Europe.

Secure and robust medical supply chains increase patient safety, drive supply chain efficiencies, and improve the traceability of medicines. Miguel A. Lopera, President and CEO of GS1 is delighted to join the campaign: “Fight the Fakes has done amazing work in increasing awareness around the world about the dangers of falsified medicines and we are looking forward to joining their efforts. Our work at GS1 starts before patients are even exposed to the risk of unknowingly purchasing counterfeit medicine from pharmacies, hospitals, and online channels. Through our standards, we want to ensure that fake medical products don’t get the chance to reach consumers in the first place.”

Chris  Goetz,  Executive  VP  and  General  Manager  of  the  International  Federation  of  Pharmaceutical  Wholesalers (IFPW), a long-standing member of FTF, expressed his excitement of the new addition to the FTF community: “GS1 has long been championing the need to combat the dangers of substandard and falsified medicines, and providing solutions to help the world’s supply chains do so globally, so it is only natural that they would become a member of Fight the Fakes. We very much look forward to continue collaborating with GS1 in this important area!”

Thanks to the increasing number and diverse range of partners, the impact of the campaign around the world is constantly growing, thus increasing the number of people aware of the harmful effects of falsified medicines on human health and the fight against them.

Contacts:

Fight the Fakes: secretariat@fightthefakes.org

GS1: Ph. Neirinckx, Director Marketing Healthcare, Emerging Sectors & Solutions, philippe.neirinckx@gs1.org

GS1 Bulgaria: D.Dimitrova, gs1bulgaria@gs1bg.org