Counterfeit pharmaceutical products 1 in 10 medicines are substandard or falsified, WHO

On the occasion of World Anti-Counterfeiting Day, celebrated on June 24, 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO), reports that nearly 100,000 people die every year in Africa as a result of the trade in counterfeit medicines.

The British think-tank International Policy Network estimates that counterfeit tuberculosis and antimalarial drugs are responsible for 700,000 deaths a year worldwide, the equivalent of “four jumbo jets full of passengers crashing every day.

The Cameroonian government should take steps to combat counterfeit medicines. However, the problem is complex and requires the collaboration of all players: authorities, health professionals, consumers and the pharmaceutical industry. By raising consumer awareness of the dangers of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and encouraging good purchasing practices.

The proliferation of counterfeit pharmaceutical products on Cameroonian markets is a major source of concern for public health. These products, which are often of poor quality, ineffective and even dangerous, can cause serious health problems and even death. “I bought counterfeit antibiotics in a local pharmacy to treat a urinary tract infection. Instead of giving me relief, they aggravated my condition and I had to go to hospital,” says Cynthia, a 30-year-old trader at the Nsam market in Yaoundé’s 3rd arrondissement. Like Cynthia, Paul Tchachouang is also a victim. “I’ve taken counterfeit antimalarials to prevent malaria”. “I developed severe allergies and almost died,” confides the vehicle repairer in the Tam-Tam district, in Yaoundé’s 6th arrondissement. The list of victims makes you break out in a cold sweat. “I bought counterfeit beauty products to lighten my skin. “They burned my face and left permanent scars,” says Victoire, 28, a waitress in a local drinking establishment.

While some adults have escaped death, in Cameroon, counterfeit pharmaceutical products have been responsible for the deaths of many children over the past 10 years. In a communiqué signed on April 13, 2023, the North-West Regional Delegate for Public Health, Dr Kingsley Che Soh, reported that 6 children had died after consuming NaturCold, a cough syrup that is not authorized in Cameroon. Subsequently, the Minister of Public Health, Dr Manaouda Malachie, in a circular dated October 6, 2023, requested the quarantine of batches of the drug “Carbocysteine 2%, 100 ml/5 ml, syrup, 100 ml bottle”. These include FLANID 100 mg, FLANID 200 mg, Tiaprofenic acid, scored tablet, box/30, scored tablet, box/15, TRAMADOL DENK 100 mg retard and TRAMADOL DENK 200 mg retard from Laboratoires DENK PHARMA. Following reports that anti-malarial drugs have been withdrawn from the European market, but are still circulating in Cameroon, it is made up of monotherapy anti-malarial drugs, withdrawn from the Cameroonian market since 2006, in accordance with national directives which recommend the use of artemisinin derivative-based combination therapies (ACT) for the treatment of uncomplicated oral malaria. According to Pr Rose Ngono Mballa et Al, “the total value of national pharmaceutical production sold in the country (ex-factory price): the last available figure dates from the year 2000: 2 billion FCFA, out of a total of 100 billion spent on medicines in the same year that is 2%”, from the scientific article entitled “Situation de l’industrie pharmaceutique au Cameroun: État des lieux et perspectives”, (The situation of pharmaceutical industries in Cameroon: the state of being and perspective) 2019.

Counterfeit pharmaceuticals are often sold in open-air markets or small pharmacies. They can be difficult to distinguish from genuine medicines, as they are often similarly packaged. However, counterfeit pharmaceuticals can contain dangerous or ineffective ingredients, which can lead to serious health problems and even death.

The British think-tank International Policy Network estimates that fake anti-tuberculosis and anti-malarial drugs are responsible for 700,000 deaths a year worldwide, the equivalent of “four jumbo jets full of passengers crashing every day. In Africa, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 100,000 deaths a year are linked to the trade in counterfeit medicines. According to Rémi Harivel, in his doctoral thesis entitled “Faux médicaments en Afrique subsaharienne: comment l’industrie pharmaceutique peut-elle réduire leurs impacts?” Fake medicines in Sub-Saharan Africa: How can pharmaceutical industries reduce its impacts?). “The proportion of fake medicines attributed to sub-Saharan Africa thus varies according to the source, ranging from 10% to 42%, and even up to 70%. Merchants or apothecaries selling jam or medicines known to be fake or poorly prepared will be fined. The first example found in Kenya and Uganda is a forgery since, despite what is stated, GSK did not manufacture this product. Analysis of the tablets contained revealed the absence of any active ingredient, a further deception in relation to what is indicated. In the second example discovered in Chad, the Central African Republic and Uganda, the laboratory indicated does not exist, the information is misspelled and analysis of the products also revealed the absence of the active ingredient. “There is therefore a clear intention to deceive in both cases”, says Rémi Harivel in his work.

The Cameroon government should take steps to combat counterfeit medicines. However, the problem is complex and requires the collaboration of all players: authorities, health professionals, consumers and the pharmaceutical industry. By raising consumer awareness of the dangers of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and encouraging good purchasing practices.

Elvis Serge NSAA