Informe de la OMS sobre Medicamentos Falsificados

Puesto que la definición legal de reacción adversa a los medicamentos (RAM) incluye también todas las consecuencias clínicas perjudiciales derivadas de la dependencia, abuso y uso incorrecto de medicamentos, incluyendo las causadas por el uso fuera de las condiciones autorizadas y las causadas por errores de medicación, por su interés, os ofrecemos el informe de la OMS sobre Medicamentos Falsificados.

Medicines: counterfeit medicines:

Key facts

Counterfeit medicines are medicines that are deliberately and fraudulently mislabelled with respect to identity and/or source.

Use of counterfeit medicines can result in treatment failure or even death.
Public confidence in health-delivery systems may be eroded following use and/or detection of counterfeit medicines.

Both branded and generic products are subject to counterfeiting.

All kinds of medicines have been counterfeited, from medicines for the treatment of life-threatening conditions to inexpensive generic versions of painkillers and antihistamines.

Counterfeit medicines may include products with the correct ingredients or with the wrong ingredients, without active ingredients, with insufficient or too much active ingredient, or with fake packaging.

Counterfeit medicines are found everywhere in the world. They range from random mixtures of harmful toxic substances to inactive, ineffective preparations. Some contain a declared, active ingredient and look so similar to the genuine product that they deceive health professionals as well as patients. But in every case, the source of a counterfeit medicine is unknown and its content unreliable. Counterfeit medicines are always illegal. They can result in treatment failure or even death. Eliminating them is a considerable public health challenge.

Ver el informe completo en: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs275/en/print.html