Medical News Today
May 23, 2012
Although there has been considerable progress made in malaria control over the past 10 years, these global efforts are now under threat due to increasing drug resistance and inadequate treatment.
According to the researchers, approximately 42% of malaria drugs examined in Southeast Asia were fake, while around 33% of antimalarial drugs in sub-Saharan Africa contained either too much or too little of the active ingredient.
The researchers analyzed data from antimalarial drugs in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa and found that in seven Southeast Asian countries, about a third of the 1,437 samples of 7 malaria drugs analyzed were fake, over a third failed chemical testing, and almost 50% were not packaged correctly. [emphasis added]