'The U.S is pleased to work with the government of Sri Lanka to highlight the public health threat posed by counterfeit drugs', stated US Ambassador Patricia Butenis addressing the seminar "Protecting Sri Lankan Families from Counterfeit Drugs", yesterday (17).

"Buying, selling, distributing or using counterfeit drugs - fake drugs - can lead to serious and even life-threatening consequences. The truth is that counterfeits are a severe threat to public health - the health of our children, families, and loved ones - and should not be tolerated", she said.

Speaking with regard to the active participation at the conference the Ambassador said, "We have both quality and quantity of participation here today (17). The government of Sri Lanka, represented here by the Ministry of Health and the National Intellectual Property Office, is developing programs and toughening regulations regarding counterfeit and unregistered drugs. Although budgets are tight, the number of trained staff in the various ministries is increasing".

It is important that when a person goes to the pharmacy to purchase medicine for a sick family member, or orders medicine from an on-line provider, that he or she can be certain that the medicine is genuine, she added. And for that reason, I'm particularly pleased to see the active participation of Sri Lanka's pharmacists, chemists, pharmacy students and pharmacy owners today. As you know, you play perhaps the most critical role in this matter, she further said.

Recognizing the dangers posed by counterfeit and unregistered drugs, the U.S. Department of State launched a new campaign against counterfeit medicines to address this serious matter around the world. The U.S. Embassy in Colombo is pleased to work with the government of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry, the American Chamber of Commerce, and the Pharmaceutical Society of Sri Lanka to highlight the public health threat posed by counterfeit drugs and give you some tools to protect your businesses - and Sri Lanka's public - from fake medicines.

I have also always seen this issue as an example of corruption, in which the makers of counterfeit drugs, or other goods, cheat the public, often with the collaboration of government officials, merchants, and others. So, in tackling this menace, you are not only protecting the health and safety of the citizens of this country, you are also battling corruption, another corrosive menace to society, the Ambassador Butenis said.

This conference will help all of us learn more about the problem, the challenges and opportunities to improve the situation, and how to better and more easily identify counterfeit and unregistered medicines, she said.