Antimalarials in Nigeria
Drug counterfeited: Antimalarials
Company copied: Numerous companies, including Syncom Formulations, Encore Pharmaceuticals, Brown & Burk Pharmaceutical, and Sarvodaya Laboratories
Years: Ongoing
More than 50 million people contracted malaria in Nigeria in 2000, according to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime study. That's over half the country. Simultaneously, approximately 45 million counterfeit malaria drugs made their way from China and India to West Africa. A large internal counterfeit market also exists in Nigeria, where there's poor federal drug regulation.
It's unknown how many deaths can be attributed to counterfeit antimalarials. According to one study, approximately 1 million people died from malaria in sub-Sarahan Africa in 2009. The counterfeits contain little or no amount of the required active ingredient, meaning sick patients continue to suffer.
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Last updated June 08 2010: 4:16 PM ET
