WHO reports counterfeit drugs responsible for deaths of thousands of children
In a report released last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one in 10 medical drugs that are purchased in low and middle-income countries is either “substandard or falsified.” These products include pills, vaccines, and diagnostic kits.
The WHO classifies counterfeit drugs as products that:
- Have not been approved by regulators
- Fail to meet quality standards
- Deliberately misrepresent an ingredient
These drugs may fail to prevent and cure disease and could even cause death.
According to the report, the problem of counterfeit drugs is likely responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of children every year. Experts estimate that the counterfeit drugs may be responsible for the deaths of between 72,000 and 169,000 children from pneumonia and 116,000 from malaria each year. Despite the high numbers, the WHO has said that the cases of counterfeit drugs that have been found so far are only a “small fraction” of the problem. Estimates say that countries are spending about $30 billion on counterfeit drugs, CBC reports. Though it is a global problem, counterfeit drugs most often affect poor countries. In addition to causing harm, counterfeit products mean that vulnerable individuals, who can barely afford medication in the first place, are spending money on drugs that may exacerbate, rather than cure, the illness.
These products also pose a threat to drug resistance. In a UN News report, Mariângela Simão, the assistant director-general for Access to Medicines, Vaccines and Pharmaceuticals at the WHO, says that the falsified medicines “are a threat to antimicrobial resistance, adding to the worrying trend of medicines losing their power to treat.” There is a definite profitability to making counterfeit drugs, particularly at times of outbreaks, where there may be a drug shortage. UN News states that globalization also makes it harder to regulate medical products, as online pharmacies can easily avoid quality control.
The WHO is asking governments to take urgent action, and Simão posits that in order to prevent the trafficking of counterfeit drugs and improve detection and response, countries will need to cooperate regionally and globally.
Photo by Alora Griffiths/The Ontarion