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Getting prescription medication into developing countries is hard enough. But what if the drugs that actually make it there don’t work? Or worse, they cause further harm?

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated three years ago that nearly one in four pharmaceutical drugs sold in the developing world is counterfeit, the New York Times reported this week. And recent discoveries suggest the war on fake drugs shows no sign of abating, as the pharmaceutical forgers wield increasingly sophisticated weaponry.

“The counterfeit drug business has become increasingly attractive for criminal syndicates,” according to the Times. “The profit potential is vast, yet punishment for those caught is typically much less severe than for illegal drugs like cocaine, law enforcement officials say.”

The more phony pills lining drug store shelves, the more treatment failures patients suffer. Not all are completely inert, either: drugs have been found to include low levels of active ingredients—too low to be effective, yet high enough to trigger drug resistance and to be detected in screening tests for fakes. Some can also contain ingredients used for irrelevant conditions. One purported antimalarial appeared to contain sildenafil, the main ingredient in the impotence drug Viagra.

But U.S. and international agencies are fighting back. Last Friday, malaria medications were confiscated in Ghana after it was confirmed that they lacked any active pharmaceutical ingredients, according to a press release from the U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention, which helped set up five sites around Ghana for the monitoring and testing of medicines.

Raids in Egypt and Nigeria this April and May resulted in the removal of “millions of potentially life-threatening counterfeit medicines worth hundreds of millions of dollars,” according to Interpol, the world’s largest international police organization. Some of the drugs seized were being sold as treatments for cancer, diabetes, heart disease, epilepsy and schizophrenia.

In addition to more organized surveillance, cutting-edge technology is also aiding the identification and sourcing of the dangerous fakes. According to the Times, an “ion gun” captures “a minute amount of the material, instantly identifying its component parts.” This device is an upgrade from mass spectrometers, which take far longer to identify chemicals. And forensic palynology—the analysis of pollen—has helped track down makers of the counterfeit drugs in China, according to a study published in February.

In hopes of more Ghana-like seizures, India has announced an award of up to 20 percent of the cost of the confiscated drugs for civilians who offer tips. “There is no dearth of good intentioned people who may wish to work for the country's interests as a whistle blower in eradicating the menace,” India’s health minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, told the Times of India today.

Picture of antimalarial medicine by Around the World Journey | 2009-20xx - mhoey via flickr

4 Comments

1. 1. ANYMEANSNECESSARY 10:17 PM 7/23/09

   Better get 'em some Obamacare. If we can pay for all of Americans drugs, why not the whole world? Why not pets too? Why not the entire Universe, thats what he thinks he's Master of.
   P.S. The WHO is Global Socialist front!! Don't pay them any attention.
   America and the rest of the world would all be better off scrapping any plans to "reform" the best healthcare delivery system on Earth EVER, and instead, continue to perfect the current American system and work to EXPORT that, as well as every other American system, ideal, economic model, form of governance,etc.etc.etc.

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2. 2. stevedouglas 06:57 AM 7/24/09

   There are many who will tell you that all impotence sufferers need to do is take part in a daily workout and their sexual health problems will disappear as if by magic. Sure the loss of weight that should result will help, assuming you have weight to lose. As will the extra energy experienced after establishing a regular exercise routine and of course you need to be able to find the time in your schedule to take part in regular exercise to gain any benefits. But exercise does not reverse the ageing process nor will it re open the tiny blood vessels that surround the erogenous zones which become clogged and often close-up with age. Without good blood flow into the groin area both men and women will find enjoying full sexual relations problematic.
   
   As we get older no matter how hard we try our body starts to falter. Until recently the only successful treatment for impotency or erectile dysfunction as it is medically referred to, has been the little blue pill available on prescription from your doctor. Not anymore, recent clinical trials have revealed a little known herb- Butea Superba has exactly the same effect of the body as the blue pill. Butea however is completely natural. In fact the success rate with Butea was actually higher than with prescription drugs. While clinical trials on prescription blue pill show sexual arousal improvement in around 50% of those tested. Butea Superba improved the sexual function of over 80% of all patients taking part in the clinical trials.
   
   The big secret behind these pills is an enzyme we all create naturally in our bodies called PDE5. Butea Superba inhibits the bodies production of PDEs and in doing so increases the blood flow into the sex organs. As blood flows more freely into the erogenous zones you are more able to achieve full arousal. The additional upside for many of those tested on Butea Superba is that when PDE5 is not being produced arousal lasts longer, many patients reported achieving sufficient arousal levels to enjoy full sex two and three times.
   
   Available online under the brand name HealthyED Butea Superba is taken as a supplement each morning, unlike the little blue pill which has to be taken a specific time before any sexual encounter. There was unanimous agreement amongst those tested that taking Butea as a supplement rather than on demand, not only gave added confidence it also relieved performance induced stress.
   
   I hope this is helpful to anyone who may be suffering from any form of sexual performance anxiety.
   

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3. 3. JamesDavis 07:52 AM 7/24/09

   stevedouglas - ANYMEANSNECESSARY - Did either of you two even read the article. anymeansnecessary- you are so full of it that you would be considered a dangerour drug. stevendouglas- is the only thing on your mind sex; that is the only thing you picked up in the article. The only thing you two got out of the article was the like of an errection, which I don't know why your mind found that, and Obama's health care plan for America. What the hell does President Obama have to do with counterfeit drugs in developing worlds? Did the words, "counterfeit durgs" make it through your "libedo" and "Obama hating" skulls? ANYMEANSNECESSARY, you are a poor excuse for a humanbeing and you would have to be a republican that hates children and pets. How many children are you willing to sacrifice to see President Obama, which will probably be the best president this country has ever had outside President Kennedy, brought down? What do you have against affordible health care, you stupid b******?

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4. 4. Katie448 06:48 AM 7/27/09

   It is best to understand that with the use of Viagra, you do not get an instant erection. In order to get an erection and for the Viagra to work, you must be aroused. After taking <a href="http://www.onlineclinic.co.uk/viagra.html"><b>Viagra</b></a>, the results can be seen in about 30 minutes to 1 hour as it works differently in individuals. For some men, it works in as little as 14 minutes. Normally the lasting period for Viagra is 4 hours.

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