The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has observed a significant increase in the proliferation of counterfeit therapeutics and medical products throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Angela Me, the chief of the agency's research and trend analysis branch, told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th April, 2021) The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has observed a significant increase in the proliferation of counterfeit therapeutics and medical products throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Angela Me, the chief of the agency's research and trend analysis branch, told Sputnik.
UNODC issued an initial warning over the trafficking of falsified medical products this past July, and Me said that the problem was still one of great concern for the agency.
"This has been a market that has always been managed by organized crime groups but with the pandemic, the market became much more global and more profitable because then you started to have a market in rich markets, where they can pay a lot more than you usually get from developing countries by selling falsified medicines. There clearly has been an increase, a very sudden increase," Me commented.
As countries continue to roll out COVID-19 vaccines, researchers at cybersecurity firm Check Point have warned that counterfeit vaccines and vaccination certificates are obtainable on the darknet.
Me said that the threat of counterfeit vaccines would continue to be present until the world meets the challenges of ensuring that the supply of vaccine doses meets the incredible global demand.
"Since July, we as an organization have warned the world that when you have a disequilibrium between demand and supply, you always have organized crime that takes advantage," the UNODC official said.
Speaking in February, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that global vaccine equity was the "biggest moral test" facing the international community.
The World Health Organization, another UN agency, has been instrumental in launching the COVAX Facility, which aims to distribute safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines to low- and middle-income countries.
As of Thursday, COVAX has helped deliver more than 38 million vaccine doses to over 100 economies.
