HALMED participated in the Pangea VIII operation against counterfeit medicines
20.06.2015
The Agency for Medicinal Product and Medical Devices (HALMED) participated in the international operation "Pangea VIII” conducted and co-ordinated by Interpol and implemented by police, customs, national agencies and other competent authorities for medicines around the world with the aim to fight sale of counterfeit medicines. According to the final report published in June 2015, in the action conducted from 9 to 16 June 2015 in 115 countries, operations of 2414 internet pages linked to sale of illicit and counterfeited medicines was discovered and stopped, 156 individuals involved in these illicit activities were arrested and approximately 20.7 million potentially dangerous medicines worth 543 million kuna was ceased.
According to a survey by the World Health Organisation, 50% of medicines sold in Internet is estimated to be counterfeited. The aim of the Pangea VIII operation is to reduce the search for online medicines by raising the public awareness and diminish online offer of medicines by destructing illegal internet supply chains.
Counterfeit medicines have not been discovered in authorised supply chains or legal distribution network on the Croatian market. However, due to safety reasons in the first place, HALMED hereby, would like to remind Croatian citizens, to buy solely from legal selling sites.
