Introduction. Falsified medicines are fake medicines that pass themselves off as real, authorized medicines. Falsified medicines might contain ingredients, including active ingredients, which are of bad quality or in the wrong dose – either too high or too low. As they have not been properly evaluated to check their quality, safety and efficacy – as required by strict EU authorization procedures – this could be detrimental to your health.
Aim of the study. This paper aims to highlight Falsified medicines (the term ‘falsified’ is used to distinguish the issue from IP violations, so-called ‘counterfeits’) are a major threat to public health and safety. As falsifications become more sophisticated, the risk that falsified medicines reach patients in the EU increases every year. Falsified medicines represent a serious threat to global health and call for a comprehensive strategy both at European and international level.
Keywords: Falsified medicines, health, safety, European Union, international level
