Table 1.
Examples of WHO Alerts of falsified products.
| WHO Ref. | Product | Falsification issue | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product Alert No. 2/202138 |
COVID-19 ‘BNT162b2’ vaccine | Falsified glass vials and label (batch number and expiry dates) | Mexico |
| Product Alert No. 7/202039 |
HARVONI (ledipasvir/sofosbuvir) | Misrepresentation of its identity, composition and source | WHO regions of the Americas and Europe |
| Product Alert No. 5/202040 |
Defitelio (defibrotide) | Falsified batches not containing the expected active ingredient, contaminated with mould (Cladosporium sp. and Aspergillus niger) | Argentina, Australia, Latvia, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia |
| Product Alert No. 4/202041 |
Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine | Misrepresentation of its identity, composition and source | WHO regions of Africa |
| Product Alert No. 3/202042 |
COVID-19 diagnostics | Falsified in vitro diagnostics and laboratory reagents | Not reported |
| Product Alert No. 11 /201943 |
Amoxicillin and Clavulanic Acid | Falsified batches and labelling and packaging inconsistencies | Haiti |
| Product Alert No. 8 /201944 |
Rabies Vaccines (Verorab, Speeda and Rabipur) and Anti-Rabies Serum (Equirab) | Falsified label (batch number and expiry dates) | Philippines |
| Product Alert No. 7/201945 |
Meglumine antimoniate ampoules (Gulucatime/Glucantime) | Falsified label and products produced not according to the GMP requirements | Iran and Pakistan |
| Product Alert No. 6 /201946 |
Hydrochlorothiazide | Found to contain glibenclamide instead of hydrochlorothiazide | Cameroon |
GMP, good manufacturing practice; WHO: World Health Organisation.