To address issues of substandard, falsified and counterfeit medical products, Authentication Solution Providers’ Association (ASPA) and Messe Frankfurt India will bring together leading experts from pharmaceutical industry on June 11, 2021 who will deliberate in a live panel discussion.
With increasing instances of counterfeit medical products posing a major challenge to the global healthcare system which is already suffering from the dire impact of the ongoing pandemic, it is vital to address such issues and provide a solution.
Amid the onslaught of Covid-19 infection, the healthcare sector in India is under heavy pressure owing to the rising cases across different states and there has been a growing demand for medicines, pharmaceutical equipment, protective gears etc which has given rise to counterfeiting, tampering and diversion of such life-saving products.
The webinar themed ‘Protecting lives and securing the pharmaceutical supply chain during Covid-19’ will see senior leaders, regulatory officials and international experts share their perspective on the issue.
The leaders will be seen discussing measures to ward off the “unethical and life-threatening practice of pharmaceutical counterfeiting.”
Raj Manek, executive director and board member, Messe Frankfurt Asia Holdings Ltd, said: “The increasing penetration of spurious pharmaceutical products has escalated into a major issue across the world. Many countries are still dealing with the pandemic and under such critical scenario it is crucial to find solutions to combat counterfeiting and introduce a new degree of authenticity in the pharmaceutical supply chain.”
Nakul Pasricha, president, ASPA, added: “The Covid-19 pandemic has overwhelmed India’s healthcare system. There are various issues which needs to be addressed immediately, including eliminating sub-standard and falsified medicines from the system as well as ensuring availability of affordable and quality health services. As an association, ASPA is committed to build the authentication eco-systems in the country and these webinars are our way to contribute to fighting this menace by bringing this issue into the limelight at all Industry and government forums.”
ASPA which represents authentication and traceability solutions providers, is an association that aims to educate brand owners, government authorities and consumers about the importance of fighting counterfeiting and how authentication solutions can help in this regard.
In partnership with Messe Frankfurt India, ASPA is determined to take this initiative forward to foster a well-authenticated and well-secured pharmaceutical supply chain.
As per a report published by World Health Organisation (WHO), one out of 10 medicines sold in low and middle-income countries, were tested as substandard and falsified. It is high time for the industry to develop a stronger framework for testing and authentication of pharmaceutical products. “We hope that uniting the industry players through ‘The Authentication Forum’ webinar will aid in deriving resolute measures to resolve the counterfeiting menace that has been ailing the industry since ages,” Manek said.
Messe Frankfurt which is actively involved in addressing the counterfeiting issues across different industries including automotive, pharmaceutical and FMCGs has held conferences like Pharmasafe India, Medical Device Innovation Summit (MDIS) [now known as MedTech Innovation Forum] along with The Authentication Forum. Messe Frankfurt India aims to draw attention to the factors concerning counterfeiting of medicines and effective initiatives, regulations, and policies required to curb this menace.
