The second MEDISAFE mission on the production and the trafficking of Substandard and Falsified Medicines in Accra

From 24 to 28 February 2020, a MEDISAFE technical seminar on falsified medicines detection and response was held in Accra, Ghana.

MEDISAFE’s general objective is to support the fight against the production and trafficking of Substandard and Falsified Medicines (SFM) in eleven countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

In the framework of the MEDISAFE Project, experts on legal, laboratory quality control and communication shared good practices and challenges in the fight against the production and the trafficking of SFM at the national and regional levels. Thorough collaboration between MEDISAFE and several agencies (namely the Food and Drug Authority, the Ghana Standards Authority, the WHO National Office for Ghana, the French Development Agency (AFD), the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Revenue Authority, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority in Tema, Custom Airport Laboratory, Ghana Police Laboratory, Economic and Organized Crime Office, National Quality Control Laboratories and the National and Privates Central Medical Stores) contributed to the implementation of MEDISAFE in Ghana within the existing national framework.

Specifically, this mission included the following objectives:

Assess national chemical and pharmaceutical laboratories to detect the presence of SFM

Analyze forensics investigations on SFM

Identify and list every competent laboratories in the country capable to rely on forensic investigations in particular on falsified medicines

Identify and list public and private medical stores at the national level

Identify different stakeholders and bodies competent in pharmacy inspection

Identify good practices and needs to elaborate communication tools and guidance on how to disseminate specific information between National Drug Regulatory Authorities, civil society organizations, health care professional organizations, the pharmaceutical industry and actors within the supply chain on the risks of SFM

Identify adequate targets groups for the next technical seminar on definition and detection of SFM

Contract with national legal experts

Prepare the 2020 action plan of the MEDISAFE project, in partnership with the different stakeholders and national experts

Following this seminar, and in partnership with the different stakeholders and national experts, the 2020 action plan will soon be implemented throughout coming seminars and trainings.