Counterfeit Drugs
25 April 2005
The production of sub-standard and fake drugs is a vast and under-reported problem that particularly affects poorer countries, argue Professor Nick White and colleagues in an article published in PLoS Medicine.
The US Food and Drug Administration estimates that fake drugs comprise roughly 10 per cent of the global medicine market. In some parts of Asia and Africa, it is estimated that over 50 per cent of drugs in the market place are fakes. Meanwhile, an estimate of 192 000 patients killed by fake drugs in China in 2001 gives an indication of the scale of human suffering.
The authors indicate that the prevalence of counterfeit drugs is rising, causing unnecessary morbidity, mortality, and undermining public confidence in medicines and health structures. They suggest that many pharmaceutical companies and governments are reluctant to publicise the problem to health staff and the public, apparently to avoid any alarm that could prevent patients taking their genuine medicines.
Governmental authorities, say the writers, should also have a legal duty to investigate, issue appropriate public warnings, and share information across borders.
