|
I'm Faith Lapidus with the VOA Special English Health Report.
The World Health Organization says more effort is needed to stop the
trade in counterfeit medicines. The United Nations health agency says
countries must work together to fight the growing threat from drugs that
are not what they seem.
W.H.O. officials discussed the problem during a recent high-level
meeting in Rome. Delegates at the conference included representatives of
government agencies, consumer groups and the drug industry.
Counterfeit medicines trick people into believing they are taking
something that will make them well. Instead, it might make them sicker or
even kill them.
The World Health Organization says counterfeit drugs are part of a
wider problem of low-quality medicines. But it says the difference is that
they are purposely misidentified. Some contain no active substances. Some
contain dangerous substances. Counterfeit drugs can also add to the
problem of drug resistance.
The World Health Organization says counterfeit medicines are present in
all countries. They are thought to represent ten percent of drug sales
worldwide.
A group in the United States estimates that profits
from counterfeit drug sales will reach seventy-five thousand million
dollars by two thousand ten. The Center for Medicines in the Public
Interest estimated the profits last year at almost forty thousand million
dollars.
Criminals often target high-demand drugs such as antibiotics, malaria
drugs and painkillers. Also, with recent fears about bird flu, there have
been reports of counterfeiting of the antiviral drug Tamiflu. Experts say
the counterfeit drug problem is worst in developing countries.
W.H.O. officials say identifying counterfeit medicines is getting more
difficult. Criminals are improving their methods. Representatives at the
meeting in Rome agreed to create an international expert group. Among its
duties, the new group will try to strengthen national laws and establish
better systems to identify counterfeit drugs.
Counterfeit medicines are often sold on the Internet. But the Internet
can also be used to fight the problem. Last year, the W.H.O. set up a
Web-based system to gather reports on what it calls "drug cheats" in the
western Pacific area. It says this system should be expanded to all areas.
This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Cynthia Kirk.
Read and hear our reports at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Faith Lapidus.
| 
