The WHO Member State Mechanism on Substandard and Falsified Medical Products

Overview

Access to quality medical products is a crucial element of universal health coverage. Yet, every day, substandard and falsified medical products enter the global supply chain resulting in socioeconomic cost and damage to health. Substandard and falsified medicines, vaccines and other medical products, such as in vitro diagnostics, not only increase disease prevalence, exacerbate antimicrobial resistance and produce adverse health effects, they also waste resources, result in economic loss and increase outof-pocket spending on medical treatment.

Substandard and falsified medicines are produced, distributed and sold all over the world. Preventing, detecting and responding to them is a persistent public health challenge for WHO Member States.

Since its creation in 2012, the Member State Mechanism on Substandard and Falsified Medical Products has become the global forum at which Member States convene, coordinate, decide and organize activities to address substandard and falsified medical products. Since that time, it has provided a collaborative, inclusive, transparent means for countries to work together to face this persistent and pervasive problem.

The work of the Member State Mechanism on Substandard and Falsified Medical Products remains as relevant as ever; low- and middle-income countries spend an estimated $30.5 billion on substandard and falsified medicines, accounting for 10.5% of medicines samples in the supply chain in these countries