Black market medicines take toll on the poor and the young

Researchers have warned that counterfeit and substandard medicines are associated with tens of thousands of deaths, with young children in poorer countries being particularly affected.

The analysis, published by the The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), calls attention also to the economic impact of the black market trade in pharmaceutical products, blaming poor-quality drugs for “an annual economic toll of up to $200 billion.”

The authors call for stronger international and national pharmaceutical governance and urge greater efforts in research, policy, and field monitoring to curb the problem.