Protective Equipment Alert: MedTech Europe Releases Warning about Counterfeit Products and Fraudulent Suppliers and Activities in the Context of COVID-19

On 29 October 2020, MedTech Europe (the European trade association for the medical technology industry of which Medline is a member) published a statement warning about counterfeit products, fraudulent web activity and falsified or misleading certificates since the outbreak of COVID-19. In addition, their statement aims to raise awareness about this risk of acquiring products of substandard quality that do not comply the required safety and performance standards.

MedTech Europe recommends buyers of protective equipment/personal protective equipment (PPE) to pay attention to the reliability of sales channels and producers. Furthermore, MedTech Europe encourages companies to take all necessary steps to help prevent counterfeit or substandard products from getting into the supply chain in order to ensure due diligence and security of the supply chain.

In solidarity with MedTech and to support the healthcare industry, Medline also denounces practices that jeopardise the safety and performance of protective equipment and any related fraudulent activities. This is why we would like to share some ways to verify the documentation that accompanies Medline’s PPE, thereby guaranteeing an adequate level of protection for the health and safety of users.

Products must have the information, marking and documentation indicated in the PPE Regulation (EU Regulation 2016/425) and include the content that is requested there. This is especially important when verifying whether the protective equipment/PPE you received is legitimate or fraudulent.

Medline’s products will always include the following:

• PPE information: Product brand, product model, manufacturer data etc.
• Marked on the PPE and on its packaging: The information and the marking required in the Regulation must be present on the product and its packaging, in addition to the brochure or the instructions. If you ever need to verify a product, it’s important to provide photos of the products and its packaging.

• Documentation: At a minimum, the manufacturer must provide the EU Declaration of Conformity and the EU Type Examination Certificate (for category II or III PPE), issued by a notified body authorised by the EU for the PEE Regulation.

If you are not an historical Medline customer and are not purchasing directly from Medline or an established Medline distributor, we will be happy to certify the authenticity of the products you are being offered to purchase.

Please contact us at uk-customerservice@medline.com and provide photos of the packaging and lot number, as well as the contact details of the company that is making the offer.