EUROPE/SWITZERLAND - WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION TAKES ACTION TO ELIMINATE COUNTERFEIT MEDICINES; ASIAN AND AFRICAN COUNTRIES MOVE TO IMPROVE MEDICINE QUALITY

Tuesday, 11 November 2003

Rome (Fides Service) – Counterfeit and substandard medicines are frequently detected in Cambodia, China, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam and the problem seems to be increasing. Products most commonly counterfeited in this region include antibiotics and those used in the treatment of tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS. The World Health Organization (WHO) will launch an action plan against substandard and counterfeit medicines and to improve the quality of medicines.
In 2001 it was estimated there were 2800 illegal medicine sellers in Cambodia and 1000 unregistered medicines on the market. In the Lao People’s Democratic Republic 2100 illegal drug sellers are said to exist. Substandard medicines are thought to account for 8.5% of medicines on the market in Thailand. Eight per cent of randomly collected samples in Viet Nam and 16% in Myanmar failed laboratory testing for quality assessment.
A recent WHO survey of the quality of antimalarials in seven African countries revealed that between 20% and 90% of the products failed quality testing. The medicines were a mixture of locally produced and imported products. The reason why many of the antimalarials tested were substandard seems to stem from pervasive poverty. Poorly equipped laboratories, under-funded regulatory authorities, poor handling and manufacturing practices mostly contributed to the results of the tests. (AP) (11/11/2003 Fides Service; lines:23 words:252)


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