Counterfeit medicine isn t just a problem in America. In Nigeria, two medical practitioners are asking a regulatory agency to check on the importation of fake anti-malaria drugs into the country. They say that more than two-thirds of malaria drugs in the country are fake or substandard.
"Many people have been victims of fake and counterfeit medicines, Dr. Austin Nweke told the News Agency of Nigeria. Imagine you have malaria and you are taking Artesunate, only to find out later that the medication had no effect. The fake anti-malaria drugs have taken over everywhere, therefore, people can hardly differentiate between fake and original.
Dr. Godson Irabor says fake anti-malaria drugs can easily lead to death from untreated malaria, as well as pose their own risks. In some cases, they may actually contain harmful substances, he says.
ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ross adds, Given the long-standing problem of fake drugs in Africa, and especially regarding malaria treatments, the emphasis on preventing this mosquito-borne infection becomes paramount. Sub-standard treatments promote resistance in the causative organisms, redoubling the problem. Small amounts of DDT sprayed in homes once or twice each year would dramatically reduce the terrible toll of malaria, which still kills hundreds of thousands of African children each year. The deeply-held fear of DDT thanks to Silent Spring and the environmental movement should finally be dispensed with.