JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (November 3, 2015).- The International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association (IGBA) welcomed the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) reform and the opening of the process to new members, including international industry organisations. The IGBA fully recognises the contribution of the ICH in developing international standards applied to the pharmaceutical industry, including generic and biosimilar manufacturers.

TORONTO, CANADA (October 13, 2015).- Jim Keon, President of the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA) and Chair of the IGBA, announced at the IGBA Conference in Toronto that the International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association (IGBA) will register as an association in Geneva, Switzerland. The legal incorporation strengthens existing informal links with international institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

1 October 2015 – A unique international tool criminalizing the trade of counterfeit medicines, the Medicrime Convention, will enter into force on 1st January 2016, after 5 countries[1] out of its 24 signatories completed the ratification process. The Medicrime Convention, launched by the Council of Europe in December 2010 is opened for signature by all countries in the world and aims to curb what it defines as counterfeit (falsified) medicines[2], that is medicines whose identity and/or source have been falsely represented.