The West African Health Organisation (WAHO) in collaboration with multi-lateral and private sector partners, recently concluded a two-day sub-regional workshop designed to find ways and means of effectively and sustainably combat counterfeit and substandard medical products as well as illicit medicine markets in the Ecowas region.

The workshop which brought together participants from the 15 Ecowas member states was held in Dakar, Senegal. It was attended by officials from the National Medicines Regulatory Authority, police, GRA, the judiciary ,  the media, multi-national pharmaceutical manufacturers and other key partners including Interpol, Ecowas, WAHO  and WHO.

In his opening remarks, Modou Diagne Fada, the Senegalese minister of Health and Prevention, described counterfeit medical product as a modern global plague which poses serious threat to public health and the economy of the Ecowas region. According to him, Senegal is very much involved in the fight against the menace and highlighted some of the measurers adopted to curb the problem. These he said include: the setting up of a special security unit by the government to fight against the counterfeiters and strengthening of legislative and regulatory frameworks in countering the menace.

Dr.  Placido Cardoso, the director general of WAHO, said that counterfeit and substandard medical products are major public health and development problems in both developed and developing nations. He noted that the prevalence of counterfeit and substandard medical products in the sub-region has led to reported therapeutic failures or worse the health problem that the drug was intended to treat. According to him, WAHO is committed to combating counterfeiters through partnership with all stakeholders. He urged participants to come up with effective strategic approaches to combat the menace.