FDA & IFPMA Officials To Chair Anti-Counterfeiting Conference On Interaction Of Regulatory & Technological Approaches

Main Category: Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry
Also Included In: Conferences
Article Date: 18 Jan 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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The WHO-led International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT) will hold its first public meeting in Singapore, 13-15 February 2008. The IMPACT Forum will address the theme "Combating Counterfeit Medicines: Where the Regulatory and Technology Roads Meet" and will be co-chaired by Dr. Ilisa Bernstein, Director of Pharmacy Affairs at the US Food and Drug Administration and Dr. Harvey Bale, Director General of the IFPMA.

Speaking in her capacity as Chair of the IMPACT Working Group on Regulatory Implementation, Dr. Bernstein commented: "Anti-counterfeiting technologies are evolving fast and the field is an increasingly complex one. Pharmaceutical manufacturers and regulators have an interest to keep themselves informed about developments and this IMPACT Forum should provide a handy means of doing so."

Dr. Bale, who is also Chair of the IMPACT Technology Working Group, remarked: "Patients everywhere should benefit from new technologies designed to help protect the integrity of the pharmaceutical supply chain. Counterfeiting is a growing problem in many developing countries and their regulatory authorities should consider using appropriate technologies to verify the authenticity of medicines."

The IMPACT Forum will feature two distinct sections. It will start with presentations on different technological solutions by provider companies and will continue with a discussion on how to make it easier for developing countries to use technology to good effect to combat counterfeit medicines. The Forum will be opened by Dr. John Lim, CEO of Singaporean Government's regulatory body, the Health Sciences Authority (HAS), and is being co-organized by WHO, the IFPMA and the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), which represents pharmacists associations worldwide.

To register for the Forum, please complete and submit the attached Registration Form. For more information about the Forum program, plus exhibition and sponsorship opportunities, please go to http://www.impactglobalforum.org.

About the IFPMA

The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation representing national industry associations and companies from both developed and developing countries. Member companies of the IFPMA are research-based pharmaceutical, biotech and vaccine companies.

International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations