HALMED participated in the Pangea IX operation against counterfeit medicines
27.06.2016
The Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices (HALMED) participated in the international operation "Pangea IX” conducted and coordinated 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, in the action "Pangea IX", conducted in 2016 in 103 countries, operations of 4937 Internet pages connected to sale of fake and counterfeit pharmaceutical products and medicines were discovered and stopped, 393 individuals involved in these illicit activities were arrested and approximately 12.5 million potentially dangerous medicines worth 374 million kuna were seized.
According to a survey by the World Health Organisation, 50 % of medicines sold on Internet are estimated to be counterfeit. The aim of the "Pangea IX" operation is to reduce the online demand for medicines by raising public awareness, as well as to diminish the online offer of medicines by destroying illegal Internet supply chains.
Counterfeit medicines have not yet been identified in authorised supply chains or legal distribution network in the Croatian market. However, primarily due to safety reasons, HALMED hereby reminds Croatian citizens to buy medicines solely at legal points of sale.
