According to United States National Institute of Health, counterfeit drugs are responsible for tens of thousands of deaths each year and threaten to set back decades of efforts to fight malaria, tuberculosis, HIV / AIDS and other infectious diseases. “This global pandemic should be treated urgently” they stress after collecting information from 17 studies on the subject.
In one of the studies, the researchers found that out of 17,000 drug samples collected around the world, 41% did not meet quality standards or were falsified. In another, that fake drugs against malaria had caused the death of 122,350 African children in 2013. As for the countless poor quality antibiotics, they cause more and more antibiotics and no longer make it possible to fight effectively against the microbes.
The National Institute of Health deplores a lack of control over the quality of products, especially in low-income countries. But in a globalized market, it is difficult to fight against a scourge that represents the very juicy jackpot of 75 trillion dollars each year.
“We know that this epidemic is spreading over a very large area, crossing international borders and affecting a large number of people,” said Gaurvika Nayyar, head of a drug standards setting program on a scientific committee. The counterfeit drugs do not only concern malaria or tuberculosis but there are also fake drugs against cancer, cardiovascular diseases and other serious diseases.
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