TABLE 3-9Information Collected in the WHO Rapid Alert System

Rapid AlertDetails
Reporting personContact details
Suspect product detailsFull details of all suspect products (up to 30 per report)
How suspect product was discoveredRegulated or unregulated supply chain
Product analysisLaboratory results on medicine and packaging
PhotographsPhotographs of product, packaging, method of concealment
Impact on public healthRecord of adverse reactions in patients
Action TakenDetails
CommunicationDetails of recall or public announcements
DisseminationRecord of those other organizations, member states, or stakeholders informed
InvestigationDetails of agencies involved in investigating the case
CommentsSpecifically what aroused suspicion concerning the product

NOTE: WHO = World Health Organization.

SOURCE: Personal communication, Michael Deats, WHO, October 12, 2012.

From: 3, The Magnitude of the Problem

Cover of Countering the Problem of Falsified and Substandard Drugs
Countering the Problem of Falsified and Substandard Drugs.
Committee on Understanding the Global Public Health Implications of Substandard, Falsified, and Counterfeit Medical Products; Board on Global Health; Institute of Medicine; Buckley GJ, Gostin LO, editors.
Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2013 May 20.
Copyright 2013 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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