Numerous counterfeit drugs are being circulated in South Asia for various ailments like malaria, HIV AIDS, meningitis, typhoid, pneumonia and avian flu. According to a British doctor in Laotian capital, Vientiane, the drugs have been well disguised making it difficult for the user to find out.
World Health Organization states that majority of the malarial deaths could be prevented if patients had been treated with the original drug. They also add that many of the third world countries do not have a stringent drug regulation. These spurious drugs apart from increasing mortality rate are responsible for the development of mutant strains of virus.According to experts in the field, China is the headquarters for this trade. The distribution network of spurious drugs trade is similar to heroin network from China to Hong Kong via Thailand.
Source-Medindia
JYT
