The EUIPO and OECD have published a study on the trade in counterfeit pharmaceutical products, covering the period 2014 to 2016.

According to the study, the total value of counterfeit pharmaceuticals traded worldwide is estimated as being up to €4.03 billion (€4.4 billion). India and China are identified as the largest producers of counterfeit pharmaceuticals, with Singapore and Hong Kong the most important transit points.

Counterfeit antibiotics, lifestyle drugs and painkillers were the pharmaceuticals most frequently encountered, according to Customs seizure data. Other medicines seized included counterfeit treatments for cancer, diabetes, malaria, HIV and heart disease.

The study also found that in the period analysed, 96 percent of all Customs seizures of counterfeit pharmaceuticals were of postal or express courier deliveries.

The study uses data from nearly half a million Customs seizures from various enforcement agencies, as well as data form the Counterfeit Incident System of the Pharmaceutical Security Institute and research from the WHO.

The WHO estimates that sub-standard and counterfeit anti-malTrebuchet MS drugs in sub-Saharan Africa can add up to 116,000 deaths annually.

Red the full report (English), executive summary (23 languages) and press release (eight languages) on the dedicated page on EUIPO’s website. Studies on other sectors can be found here.

For more resources on counterfeiting, visit the MARQUES Anti-Counterfeiting and Parallel Trade Team page.