POOR QUALITY MEDICINES – THE LESSER KNOWN PANDEMIC

Poor quality medicines cause alarming rates of death and worsened illness across the globe. An estimated 10.5% of medicines worldwide are sub-standard or falsified, according to the World Health Organization.

Generic and branded medicines for infectious diseases as well as for chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer have become prime candidates for poor-quality medicines.

High-demand over-the-counter medicines containing paracetamol, for mild pain relief and to reduce fever, have also been reported as substandard or falsified. In recent years, expensive biotechnology-derived drugs, including vaccines, have been prone to falsification.

– by Prof Sangeeta Tanna and Dr Rachel Armitage, De Montfort University

Read more:

https://codeblue.galencentre.org/…/poor-quality…/