Ficheiro de 433 Kb em formato pdf (24 p.). Disponível também em: https://www.dcu.ie/nursing/downloads/counterfeit_drugs_report.pdf. Acedido em 17 de Abril de 2007. Resumo extraído do sumário da publicação.

Ireland has benefited greatly from authentic pharmaceuticals. They contribute to both individual’s health and the economy. Counterfeit drugs can seriously undermine both areas. Counterfeit drugs cause much death and suffering around the world. Different strategies are used to sell counterfeit drugs in developed and developing countries. Either way, they provide substantial incomes to unscrupulous individuals and organizations. The problem is global. It requires a coordinated global response. Counterfeit drugs are defined in different ways. This creates difficulties in evaluating and policing trade in counterfeit drugs. A global definition needs to be accepted so that the problem can be tackled efficiently and globally. An important step towards this is on the horizon through the International Framework Convention on counterfeit drugs being developed by the WHO.Tackling counterfeit drugs requires many different strategies involving the active cooperation of all stakeholders. These include governments, the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare professionals, police, customs, distributors, patients’ organizations, and those concerned about people’s rights. Most importantly they involve individuals making decisions not to purchase unregulated drugs of any kind, no matter how attractive they may seem. Only through individual decisions and global policies can society embark upon the elimination of this scourge.