Substandard and falsified drugs in Africa.
In January, the World Customs Organisation (WCO) reported record seizures in Africa of 113 million fake medicines, including antimalarials and antibiotics. News from the WCO comes amid reports of multi-drug resistant strains of malaria from Africa being imported into the United Kingdom. Both reports add to the mounting evidence of the burden of falsified medicines in Africa and their potential effects.
Antimalarial drug resistance is widespread in South-east Asia and is a looming threat in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
Rapid technologies to detect falsified and substandard medicines will be crucial to the next phase of malaria control and elimination.
Where oversight and regulation is weak, technological innovation will increasingly allow patients to authenticate medications.
States with higher levels of corruption and criminality may facilitate illicit medicine imports.
