Counterfeit drugs for malaria, other diseases threaten public health, WHO Director-General Chan says

The increasing availability of counterfeit drugs for malaria and other diseases poses a threat to public health, and governments must take action to supply affordable and effective treatments, World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan said Monday at the 26th Southeast Asia Region Health Ministers Meeting in New Delhi, Bernama/Daily Malaysian News reports.

According to reports, at least 35% of drugs entering the market are thought to be counterfeit, including at least 30% of the antimalarial drugs in rural areas of Southeast Asia. The United Nations estimates that global sales of counterfeit drugs, including antimalarials, could reach $75 billion in a few years.

Chan said that the "problem" of counterfeit drugs is increasing because "when there is profit, people will do anything to make money in public health." Chan added that WHO is working to strengthen the capacity of governments to regulate medicines because "it is the country's sovereign power to regulate quality of drugs" (Vijian, Bernama/Daily Malaysian News, 9/8).

Kenya Anti-Counterfeit Bill Could Reduce Access to Generic HIV, TB, Malaria Medications, Health Advocates Say

In related news, Kenyan health advocates last week protested the country's Anti-Counterfeit Bill, arguing that provisions in the measure would prevent the importation of inexpensive generic medications, the East African reports. James Kamau of the Kenya Access Treatment Movement said that the bill's definition of counterfeit drugs "could easily be taken to cover generic medicines," adding that such a definition is "dangerous" because generic drugs are used throughout Kenya to treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Kamau added that the bill could be "detrimental to the government's ongoing efforts to ensure access to essential medicines for all Kenyans" (Kimani, East African, 9/6).