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The fight against counterfeit drugs – Policy

Sanofi-aventis wants to make an effective contribution to combating counterfeit drugs.  

The Group takes a four-fold approach:

1 - Internal management

• Creation of an anti-counterfeit committee in 2005
• Network of correspondents in over 70 countries
• Implementation of market surveillance

2 – Enhancing packaging security

Develop and combine visible technologies (such as holograms) and invisible technologies (such as chemical markers or micro-texts on printed parts of packaging).

3 – Joint initiatives with the pharmaceutical industry

• Sanofi-aventis' representation and participation in national and international associations: the French Pharmaceutical Companies Association (LEEM),  European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Association (EFPIA), etc.
• Discussion and cooperation with other laboratories in professional organizations (Pharmaceutical Safety Institute).

4 – Investigations and legal action

• Investigations into international networks, in particular on the Internet, prior to filing lawsuits for damages which prompt international police investigations.
• Legal action leading to law enforcement operations in the field:
  • product seizures at the Convention on Pharmaceutical Ingredients (CPhI) and imprisonment;
  • closure of a factory in China and seizure of tablets.
• Create synergies with public authorities (police, judiciary), and submit reports to customs officials.

To ensure that all cases of counterfeit of sanofi-aventis products are detected and managed efficiently, the company has developed a handbook entitled "Handling of Suspected Counterfeit Products". This guide provides a concrete description of the measures taken when a product is detected or suspected of being counterfeit:

• The Quality manager at the subsidiary involved must draft a report for the anti-counterfeit committee and send samples of the suspected product to the committee secretary.
• The anti-counterfeit committee secretary forwards the suspected product samples for an internal investigation of traceability and analysis (examination of packaging, physico-chemical analyses).
• The involved production sites and distribution centers send their own investigation report to the anti-counterfeit committee and to expert teams for results evaluation.
• If the product is confirmed to be counterfeit, the committee informs all involved departments and initiates three types of action:
  • public health actions;
  • investigative actions;
  • legal actions.