Excellency Professor Mam Bunheng, Minister of Health of the Kingdom of Cambodia,
Excellency Dr Or Vandine, Secretary of State, Ministry of Health and Chair of the Organizing Committee,
Excellency Mrs Stephanie Seydoux, French Ambassador for Global Health,
Excellency Mr Mikami Masahiro, Ambassador of Japan to the Kingdom of Cambodia,
Mr George Cunningham, Alternate ASEM Senior Officer, the European Union,
Mr Morikawa Toru, Executive Director, Asia-Europe Foundation,
Excellencies, Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am honoured to be here today for this important event on Combatting Substandard and Falsified Medicines.
On behalf of the World Health Organization, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to His Excellency Professor Mam Bunheng, Minister of Health of the Kingdom of Cambodia for his strong leadership.
Thank all of you for your commitment and actions to strengthening regulation for medical products in your own country and in the regions.
Access to safe and effective medical products is essential to improving health outcomes. There is no universal health coverage without access to medicines; There is no health security without access to medicines; And there is no health and well-being without access to medicines.
Regulatory agencies play an essential role to prevent, detect and respond to substandard and falsified medical products. The way in which regulatory agencies shape and execute policy determines access to safe, quality, affordable and efficacious medical products.
Reports of substandard and falsified medical products are received in WHO every day through the WHO Global Surveillance and Monitoring System. No region and no country is immune to this problem. We estimate more than 10 percent of medicines in low- and middle-income countries are substandard or falsified.
So far, WHO published 2 global alerts and 3 information notices for users relating to substandard or falsified medicines and in vitro diagnostic devices related to Covid-19. Reports come from all over the world and show how quickly the market responds to opportunities or pressures.
As with any other pandemic, substandard and falsified medicines are a shared threat that requires shared solutions. We need strong regulators, strong networking, strong collaboration across many different sectors within country, regionally and globally to ensure access to safe, quality and effective medical products. Regulatory convergence is highly desirable.
Our goal is for every Member State to have the capacity to take timely and effective action to ensure safety and quality of medical products and protect health.
WHO urges all countries to share experiences and to learn from each other. The WHO Member State Mechanism on Substandard and Falsified Medical Products provides a formal means for this collaboration and a platform for regulatory agencies to shape policy at the global level.
This Asia- Europe Forum provides another great opportunity to strengthen collaboration and networking among regulatory authorities and partners. We believe stronger collaboration is crucial for stronger regulation.
WHO is committed to working with all of you to save lives, protect health and keep the world safe.
Thank you!