Today, FIP has launched a new tool to aid countries in assessing the sufficiency of their regulatory systems supporting pharmacy interventions against substandard and falsified (SF) medicines. The tool, developed by FIP's Regulators Advisory Group, covers pharmacist-led roles and the responsibilities of health ministries.

“FIP has been speaking out against SF medical products for over 20 years and this self-assessment tool is another mechanism to decrease the impact of SF medical products on patient care,” said Brett Simmonds, FIP Regulators Advisory Group chair.

The “Substandard and falsified medical products: Regulatory self-assessment tool” aims to facilitate the detection, quarantine and removal of SF medical products from the pharmaceutical supply chain through supportive legislation. It can also serve as an educational resource to raise awareness of the risk and harm of SF medical products among healthcare providers and healthcare policy makers, as well as being included in undergraduate and professional programmes.