Fake medicines are everybody’s business

Catherine Fiankan-Bokonga

Journalist and Vice President of APES

Catherine Fiankan-Bokonga was born in Geneva (Switzerland) to a father from the DRC and a Belgian Flemish mother. She graduated in Law (France), has a Master in political science (USA) and gender studies (Switzerland).
A TV, radio and print journalist specialized in African politics and women issues, Ms. Fiankan-Bokonga has been based in Geneva since 1999. She is Chief Editor of Swiss newspaper, La Cité, and France 24 correspondent (French International Tv channel). She is also a presenter and producer of television news reports.
She has covered many armed conflicts in the field in Africa (Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo/DRC) and interviewed numerous African heads of State and world leaders.
In collaboration with the Swiss Foundation Media Action International (MAI) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Office (SDC) she hosted, from 2002 to 2005, seminars with West African journalists to sensitize them to the duty of non-partisan information in case of conflict. The work has been praised in a report of the Secretary General of the United Nations Organization.
She has been a jury member for international photography and film festivals. She is a regular speaker and moderator at high profile conferences on African security, humanitarian relief, health care and women’s issues.
She is vice-president of the Swiss Press Club (Club Suisse de la Presse) and the Association of Accredited Correspondents to the United Nations (ACANU).
She is former Vice President of the Foreign Press Association of Switzerland and Lichtenstein (APES).

Ana Catarina Duarte

IPSF Chairperson of Public Health

Ms. Ana Catarina Duarte is a recent pharmacy graduate from the University of Porto, having concluded her Master’s degree in September 2015.
Since 2011 to 2015, Ms. Ana Catarina was involved with the local Students’ Association, representing pharmacy students in the international context. In addition, integrated the Council of Representatives’ body of the Pharmacy Faculty of University of Porto as a student representative for 3 years.
Since 2014, Ms. Ana Catarina has been involved with the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF), initially as Public Health Advocacy Coordinator and now as Chairperson of Public Health. Her work involves the development of the Public Health Portfolio within IPSF, which consists of development, implementation, promotion, monitoring and evaluation of public health campaigns. These campaigns focus on health promotion and awareness of a varied spectrum of topics (HIV/AIDS, TB, diabetes and other NCDs, neglected tropical diseases, immunization/vaccination, tobacco control, medicines access, SSFFC medical products, rational use of drugs, AMR, among others).

Hiiti Sillo

Director General, Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA)

Mr. Hiiti Sillo is the Director General of the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) from June 2011 after acting in the same capacity since May 2010. Prior to his current position, he served the TFDA on several technical and managerial positions including being the Director of Medicines and Cosmetics between 2008 and 2011.
Mr. Sillo is a career Medicines Regulator and a registered Pharmacist with regional and international experience in medicines regulation and quality assurance of pharmaceuticals. He served WHO Prequalification of Medicines Programme as a Quality Assessor from 2003 to 2010 that included working as a Technical Officer at WHO HQ in Geneva on a rotational position in 2007. He serves in various technical and advisory Boards and Committees at national, regional and international level including being the current member of the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group (STAG) on Antimicrobial Resistance.

Zuzana Kusynová

Policy Advisor & Project Manager, International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP)

Mgr. PharmDr. Zuzana Kusynová has a combined background – in pharmacy (PharmDr.) and in management (Master). Zuzana’s work in public health policy started already in 2012 in the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union that is representing European community pharmacists, based in Brussels, Belgium. Currently, Zuzana is a Policy Advisor and Project Manager in the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), global organisation representing more than three million pharmacists worldwide. FIP’s mission is to “improve global health by advancing pharmacy practice and science to enable better discovery, development, access to and safe use of appropriate, cost-effective, quality medicines worldwide.” Zuzana is in charge of policy work in different areas of medicines and their use. She prepares technical reports and guidelines addressing current public health challenges focused on contribution of pharmacists, including related to counterfeit medicines. Zuzana represents FIP at Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts on minimising the public health risks posed by counterfeiting of medical products and related crimes (CD-P-PH/CMED). Zuzana is also a member of FIP Board of Pharmaceutical Practice Working Group on Pharmacists and Health Supply Chain on pharmacists’ role in safeguarding the supply chain of medicines. She is assisting the FIP General Secretary and CEO in the matters related to FIP’s relations with the World Health Organization and hot topics of global health agenda.

Christa Cepuch

Pharmacist Coordinator at the MSF Access Campaign

The MSF Access Campaign pushes for access to, and the development of life-saving and life prolonging medicines, diagnostic tests and vaccines for patients in MSF programs and beyond. MSF is not a member of Fight the Fakes network, and participates on the panel today as an external, independent organization.