Counterfeit goods have always been a staple black market product, and according to the WHO, the sale of counterfeit medication is the world’s most lucrative illicit trade. Heartbreakingly predictable, Africa is home to an estimated 42% of the world’s cases of trade in counterfeit medications, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable and desperate of populations living in low- or middle-income countries.
These phony drugs are not harmless. TB, cholera and HIV/Aids cannot be treated with fake drugs. In fact, counterfeit malaria medication is estimated to be directly attributable to the deaths of between 64,000 and 158,000 Africans every year, while some African countries have their antimalarial market comprised of (at worst) 88.4% fake drugs.
We can begin to stifle this illicit trade by creating an environment in which knockoff medication becomes increasingly difficult to sell. The need for stricter import controls and regulations will remain a critical undertaking to curb the volume of foreign-produced fake medication entering African countries today. Of course, smugglers will continue to find other ways to illegally import their goods, but the more difficult the process, the less attractive the goods become for the vendors.
With tighter import controls to tackle the threat from beyond our borders, African governments and regulatory agencies should be empowered in their abilities to monitor the market from within. Labs created or upgraded to perform quality control tests (overseeing the quality and authenticity of drugs) will restrict the opportunities available to counterfeiters who need to work at a scale large enough to remain profitable.
Combining these efforts with a sophisticated and mature regulatory body that has the capacity to audit and is capable of taking a data-driven response will be paramount. The surveillance of trends in medication consumption should also allow for a more proactive approach, which, in turn, also promotes a more efficient use of highly skilled and scarce lab technicians across the continent.
Michael Mynhardt, CEO at MMH & Partners Africa
READER LETTER | Africa home to world’s largest trade in fake drugs
Image: ANTONIO MUCHAVE
Counterfeit goods have always been a staple black market product, and according to the WHO, the sale of counterfeit medication is the world’s most lucrative illicit trade. Heartbreakingly predictable, Africa is home to an estimated 42% of the world’s cases of trade in counterfeit medications, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable and desperate of populations living in low- or middle-income countries.
These phony drugs are not harmless. TB, cholera and HIV/Aids cannot be treated with fake drugs. In fact, counterfeit malaria medication is estimated to be directly attributable to the deaths of between 64,000 and 158,000 Africans every year, while some African countries have their antimalarial market comprised of (at worst) 88.4% fake drugs.
We can begin to stifle this illicit trade by creating an environment in which knockoff medication becomes increasingly difficult to sell. The need for stricter import controls and regulations will remain a critical undertaking to curb the volume of foreign-produced fake medication entering African countries today. Of course, smugglers will continue to find other ways to illegally import their goods, but the more difficult the process, the less attractive the goods become for the vendors.
With tighter import controls to tackle the threat from beyond our borders, African governments and regulatory agencies should be empowered in their abilities to monitor the market from within. Labs created or upgraded to perform quality control tests (overseeing the quality and authenticity of drugs) will restrict the opportunities available to counterfeiters who need to work at a scale large enough to remain profitable.
Combining these efforts with a sophisticated and mature regulatory body that has the capacity to audit and is capable of taking a data-driven response will be paramount. The surveillance of trends in medication consumption should also allow for a more proactive approach, which, in turn, also promotes a more efficient use of highly skilled and scarce lab technicians across the continent.
Michael Mynhardt, CEO at MMH & Partners Africa
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