According to Emil Gabrielyan, Director of the RoA Center for Drugs Certification stated today that 10-12% of the drugs sold in Armenia today are illegally produced. “Most of the drugs illegally produced are those that widely sold over the counter. In lessere developed countries antibiotics are mainly counterfeited and hormonal drugs are illegally manufactured in more developed countries,” Mr. Gabrielyan said. The Center has no enforcement authority when it comes to pulling drugs off market shelves. At best, its inspectors can participate in Ministry monitoring. “The drug field must be under constant monitoring and pharmacies must not be forewarned as to upcoming inspections,” noted Director Gabrielyan. Today, in Armenia, there are some 3,700 registered drugs. “To a certain extent, the drugs sold and used in a given country reflect the scope and characteristics of the illnesses to be found in the society,” Mr. Gabrielyan said. On a yearly basis, 50-70 million AMD in drugs is sold in Armenia and this figure is constantly growing. In 2009, some 70 drugs were rejected for sale in Armenia. On April 11, an international treaty regarding counterfeit drugs will be adopted and Mr. Gabrielyan hopes it will resolve the issue to a large degree. He also points out that a draft bill is in the Armenian parliament that will give his Center some real enforcement teeth.