Frequently asked questions

Does quality of medicines matter?

What should be done to ensure the safety, efficacy and quality of medicines?

What are counterfeit medicines?

Is a uniform definition of a counterfeit medicine necessary?

How do substandard medicines arise?

What are substandard medicines?

What are substandard medicines?

Is there possibility for a substandard medicine to be considered as counterfeit?

Is it possible for a legitimate manufacturer to produce a substandard medicine deliberately?

Are there good quality counterfeit medicines?

Where are counterfeit medicines found?

How big is the problem of counterfeit medicines?

What kind of products are counterfeited most?

What are the different types of counterfeit medicines that have been reported?

What encourages counterfeiting of medicines?

Purchase of medicines via the Internet

What measure should countries take to combat the problem?

I M P A C T
(International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce)

A/H1N1 vaccination safety: new safety surveillance tool available
Alert No. 124 [pdf 133kb]

Drug Alerts
Full list

	EMP Contacts
	World Health Organization Essential Medicines and Pharmaceutical Policies (HSS/EMP) 20 Avenue Appia 1211, Geneva 27 Switzerland Tel: EMP contacts Email:empinfo@who.int