ASOP EU participated in the FAKECARE conference hosted by the Faculty of Law, University of Trento 17-18th December 2015. The conference brought together the team of “Project FAKECARE” comprising university researchers, supported by institutional actors and other relevant stakeholders, which had adopted a multidisciplinary and integrated approach (law, criminology, statistical and information science).
The conference marked the culmination of this major project which has developed a more accurate picture of online trade of falsified medicinal products and has identified and created new tools for its investigation and prevention. For the briefing notes and the materials please click here.
ASOP EU contributed by speaking on the subject of “Pharmacies and Communication for Consumers”. The presentation investigated online buying behaviour and how, by using digital advertising campaigns significant reach in to the online population who buy medicines can be achieved. In particular, new important evidence of the effect of an educational website, supported with technical and translational support by the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) was presented. Visitors to the website were offered the opportunity to complete a short informative questionnaire. Of particular interest were responses to the question “Having visited this educational website, has it changed your motivation to buy your medicines online and obtain your medicines from your local pharmacy?” Many were unaware of the risks and thus just 13% said that they would buy online. Others will try to go to their pharmacy or are not sure. To the question “Is the website useful” nobody said the website was not useful and 41% described the website as very useful.
