Training in Anti-counterfeiting Measures related to Pharmaceutical Products

Miguel B. O’Farrell, FICPI Argentine Section Delegate and Head of the Trademark Litigation Department of Marval, O’Farrell & Mairal, and Dr Silvina Tirabassi, Director General of Customs, made the opening presentations at the "Meeting for Training in Anti-counterfeiting Measures related to Pharmaceutical Products" which took place August 12, 2008 at the Argentine Customs Headquarters.

Speakers from Customs, INAME (Health Argentine Authorities), Pharmaceutical Security Institute, Abbott Laboratories, Laboratorios Andrómaco, Astra-Zeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Droguería Meta and Auditoría Track & Trace provided over eighty attendees with information on their anti-counterfeiting efforts in the pharmaceutical field.

In the course of the presentations, the effectiveness of the Customs Alert System was pointed out by most of the speakers.

It was indicated that up to date, more than 220 trademarks had been recorded with the Customs Alert System (Alert System) created by Resolution AFIP No 2216, which became effective and operational in April 2007. The Alert System provides trademark owners the possibility of receiving information of imported goods bearing their trademarks before the goods are released by Customs. This information, which is sent by email, allows trademark owners to prevent the incoming of counterfeit goods and to obtain valuable information regarding the parallel importation of genuine goods.

It was also mentioned that practical experience with the Alert System up to now shows that when the goods are counterfeit, once detected, the importers simply abandon them to be destroyed, and when they are genuine they provide the trademark owners with information which allows the trademark owners to inform Customs within 48 hours that they have nothing to object and the goods are promptly released without interfering with the flow of international commerce.

It is expected that trademark owners will continue to record their trademarks with the Alert System to prevent the importation and exportation of counterfeit goods.

To see photos of the seminar click here.