UN Warns Against Sub-standard Drugs In North Africa

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, has warned that up to half of the medicines available in the Sahel region ( North Africa) are either sub-standard or out of date,

The inferior drugs are withdrawn from the supply chain in Europe and to a lesser extent from China and India. They then often pass through seaports in Guinea, Ghana, Benin and Nigeria before being transported to the Sahel.

The UNODC report published on Tuesday highlights Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad as the hardest-hit countries.

It said; “Even if there are no reliable data on all the quantities trafficked in various forms and routes in the countries of the Sahel, studies indicate a percentage of substandard or falsified medicines on the market ranging from 19 to 50%.”

Worse, once the medicines are diverted from the official supply chain there is little guidance on how it should be used by the patient.

The UNODC said fake medical products kill almost 500,000 million people in sub-Saharan African every year.

Fake medical products kill almost 500,000 million people in sub-Saharan African every year.

Latest update from @UNODC outlines how inadequate access to healthcare & treatments is fueling trafficking of medical goods, with deadly consequences. https://t.co/MEYkRDAa4Z

— United Nations (@UN) February 2, 2023

Head of UNDOC’s research and development unit,  François Patuel said; “If you want to get an antibiotic from the market, you can have it. Is it the right one to be used or not? It has to be controlled.”

”These deficiencies contribute to microbial and antimalarial resistance,” he added.

Africanews./Mercy Chukwudiebere