Access to safe, effective, and quality medicines and vaccines for all is a global concern in view of the: rising prices of new medicines that place increasing pressure on the ability of all health systems to provide full and affordable access to health care; persisting problems of shortages and stock-outs of essential medicines, especially for non-communicable diseases, and vaccines; and increasing numbers of substandard and falsified medical products that pose an unacceptable risk to public health.

Up to two billion people around the world lack access to necessary medicines, vaccines, medical devices, and other health products, which creates a vacuum that is too often filled by substandard and falsified products. The growth of e-commerce contributes to this trend by making it easier to purchase medicines online, often from unauthorized sources. Countries lacking in knowledgeable cross-skill trained staff, or the technical capability to detect substandard and falsified medical products, are more vulnerable to exploitation during the pandemic.