The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies "is urging stronger regulation of pharmaceuticals around the world to combat the growing problem of fake and poor-quality medicines," NPR's "Shots" blog reports (Knox, 2/13). "The risks of fake and flawed medicines have leapt from developing nations to Western supply chains, thanks to gaps in oversight of drug wholesalers, lax law enforcement, and ineffective tactics for tracking drugs as they change hands, according to a report released Wednesday by the Institute of Medicine," the Wall Street Journal's "Corporate Intelligence" blog states, adding, "The authors of the ... study note that data and peer-reviewed research is thin and the scope of the problem is elusive" (Weaver, 2/13). However, "[o]ne 2011 investigation revealed that falsified or substandard drugs have been sold in at least 124 countries," HealthDay/U.S. News notes (Gardner, 2/13). "Counterfeit and substandard medications with little or no active ingredients can hasten drug resistance, do not treat disease, and boost health care costs," Agence France-Presse/GlobalPost writes, adding "products that contain dangerous ingredients have sickened and killed people around the world, the report explains" (2/13).