The WHO and FDA approve drugs to treat malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases in low- and middle-income countries, but "some of the manufacturers, predominantly Chinese and Indian firms, may be knowingly producing" poor quality medicines, according to "the conclusion of my research teams' studies, published this week in the journal Research and Reports in Tropical Medicine," Roger Bate, resident scholar with the American Enterprise Institute and lead author of the studies, writes in a Washington Post opinion piece. "With little or no oversight, these companies may be cutting corners in the manufacturing process -- or worse, watering down the active ingredient in their drugs, perhaps when the price of the raw material spikes and supply becomes harder to obtain," he states, adding, "By exposing people to insufficient doses of the active ingredient, the drugs may also accelerate drug resistance and cause tremendous harm to whole populations in the long run."