U.S. Embassy funds campaign to combat counterfeit drugs in Sri Lanka

The United States Embassy in Colombo together with the Sri Lanka Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI), the National Intellectual Property Office and the American Chamber of Commerce, will be hosting a series of seminars across the country to show how pharmacists, doctors, and government officials can work together to protect Sri Lankan families against the dangers of counterfeit drugs, a press release issued today by the Embassy said.

The first of the seminar series will be held on October 17 in Colombo with the participation of Sri Lanka's Minister of Health Maithripala Sirisena and U.S. Ambassador Patricia A. Butenis.

Approximately 200 pharmacists, pharmacy owners, students, police, customs, and government health officials are expected to participate in the inaugural training, the Embassy said.

Three more workshops are planned in Galle, Kandy, and Jaffna during the coming months.

The program includes four workshops under the theme "Protecting Sri Lankan Families from Counterfeit Drugs." Each workshop will include a discussion of ways to safeguard intellectual property rights by registering and controlling genuine pharmaceuticals and medicines and enforcing the procedures established to do so.

The U.S. Department of State is the principal sponsor of the campaign. The U.S. Embassy in Colombo and the SLCPI are also providing funds for this important program.

The U.S. Embassy, the Pharmaceutical Chamber, AmCham and the NIPO have jointly developed the series of workshops to examine the problem of counterfeit drugs which can irreparably harm patients and even cause death.