Aegate News

Professor Trevor Jones joins Aegate advisory board as drug authentication company looks to the developing world

30th October 2006

Aegate, the pharmaceutical authentication company, has today announced the appointment of Professor Trevor Jones CBE to its advisory board.

Professor Jones will bring long-standing experience and expertise as Aegate, already launched in Europe, starts to apply their patient safety solution in the developing world.

Professor Jones is the immediate past Director General of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) where he was also on the Boards of The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations (IFPMA). He is a founder and member of the Board of The Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), a non-profit foundation which aims to create and deliver new affordable anti-malarial drugs through effective public-private partnerships. In addition, Professor Jones was a member of the recent World Health Organization (WHO) Commission on Intellectual Property Innovation and Public Health (CIPIH) which reported earlier this year.

Aegate, which recently launched in Europe, has been set up to increase patient safety by providing point of dispensing drug authentication, preventing counterfeit and other substandard medicines from reaching patients. Counterfeit drugs are a growing problem both in the developed and developing world, estimated to cost industry $75 billion by 2010. The company is moving forward quickly, and creating a group of experienced industry advisors is an important component of putting in place a system to address these issues.

Professor Jones said: "In less developed countries, the issue of counterfeit medicines is a significant hazard. As much as 50% of some treatments, such as malaria, have been confirmed to be counterfeit. There is a need for industry to embrace and implement innovative solutions to combat such a serious health issue. Aegate is a pioneer in this area and I am therefore delighted to join the company's advisory board."

Gary Noon, CEO Aegate, comments: "We are delighted that Professor Jones joins us. With his wealth of experience, Aegate will remain closely linked to the needs of the pharmaceutical industry, as well as organisations such as the WHO. Having the right members on our advisory board is critical as Aegate continues its work to ensure that patients are given the opportunity to receive genuine treatments."