WHO: 1 in 10 Medical Products Distributed Globally Are Substandard, Falsified

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The World Health Organization (WHO) noted that one in ten medical products circulating in the world are substandard and falsified. Not only reducing the product’s effectiveness, it could also cause serious side effects. 

"It could result in death and diminish public trust toward circulating medical products,” said the Head of the Health Research Organization of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), N.L.P. Indi Dharmayanti, in a written statement on August 7, 2024. 

Indi stressed the importance of the quality and authenticity of medical products, especially vaccines. According to her, the significant benefit of vaccines is threatened by the existence of substandard and counterfeit medical products.

Indi said that child vaccination has been proven to save around 3.5 to 5 million lives per year. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the vaccine is estimated to have saved over 14.4 million lives worldwide. 

To overcome this problem, said Indi, WHO launched a 'Prevent-Detect-Respond' strategy as part of its global effort. 

Meanwhile, at the national level, Indi highlighted the vital role of the National Standardization Agency (BSN) in developing the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) and ensuring the conformity of medical products circulating in Indonesia.

"Strengthening the role of BSN is critical to ensure that medical products circulating in our country meet high quality and safety standards," she said.

IRSYAN HASYIM

Editor’s Choice: WHO Finds Nearly 10% of Indonesian Foods High in Trans Fat

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News