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USAID Mission Director Flynn Fuller spoke at an event to launch the public-service announcements at MetaHouse in Phnom Penh.
Public-Service Announcements Tackle Counterfeit Medicines
October 8, 2009
The United States launched a series of public-service announcements on October 8, 2009, designed to raise awareness about the dangers of counterfeit medicines and resistance to anti-malarial drugs in Cambodia. Developed by implementing partner U.S. Pharmacopeia, the announcements will air on national television station TV3 as part of a regional campaign to fight counterfeit medicines in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.
USAID Mission Director Flynn Fuller spoke at an event to launch the public-service announcements at MetaHouse in Phnom Penh.
“The United States takes the problem of counterfeit medicines very seriously, and we’re committed to working with the Ministry of Health and our other health partners to ensure that Cambodians are protected from this danger,” Fuller said in his opening remarks.
“Through good storytelling, good acting, and good directing, I believe these public-service announcements will raise awareness about the dangers of counterfeit medicines among thousands of vulnerable people.”
Counterfeit and poor-quality medicines proliferate in pharmacies throughout Cambodia and the Greater Mekong Sub-region, contributing to drug resistance and adverse reactions in patients, including protracted illness and death. According to U.S. Pharmacopeia data, approximately 13% of the medicines sampled during 2003-2008 in Cambodia – the majority of which were anti-malarial drugs – were of poor quality. In Southeast Asia, up to 10-15% of medicines may be counterfeit.
The border area between Cambodia and Thailand has historically been the epicenter for emerging resistance to anti-malarial drugs. The declining effectiveness of some anti-malarial drugs used in this region is a serious public health challenge and demands a concerted response from stakeholders in the field.
The United States supports a network of mini drug-testing labs and a national lab in Phnom Penh, along with the public awareness on health seeking behaviors and drug quality as part of its effort to protect Cambodians from the dangers of counterfeit medicines.
