5% Malaysian Medicines Are Fake. What About Yours?
Malaysia has a fake medicine prevalence of roughly three to five per cent of all medicine in the country's circulation, according to an article by Emerging Markets Health Network (EMHN). The fake medicines are not only a growing menace in the poorer Asian countries, but they are penetrating the supply chain even in relatively tightly regulated markets such as Malaysia.
By nasreenasir — 14 Feb 2013, 12:55 PM — Updated almost 11 years ago
Be Aware of Your MEDICINE!
We have developed this toolkit to assist dentists, nurses, pharmacists and
physicians to tackle counterfeit medicines in your daily practice.
Fake medicines a growing problem in Malaysia
Other examples of toxic contaminants found in fake medicines include heavy metals such as lead or arsenic, rat poison, road paint, anti-freeze and floor wax.
theborneopost.com
A study published in 2005 found that 14 per cent of tested Smilax Luzonensis contained 0.51-1.23ppm mercury, thereby contravening quality requirements for traditional medicine in Malaysia.
mysinchew.comHowever, there are concerns about the quality and integrity of the many traditional medicine that is widely sold in Malaysia because some have been found to actually contain poison, it said.
kualalumpurpost.net
Though the study by EMHN showed that Malaysia’s fake medicine prevalence was low when compared to its Asean neighbours, it is a growing problem that must be tackled earnestly.
Fake medicines in Asia
It was no secret that the majority of dangerous medications came from China and India, as those countries had the world's largest production bases for both active ingredients and finished drugs.
pulitzercenter.org
It said fake medicines fall into two main categories – drugs with intentionally falsified ingredients, and those whose contents are unintentionally substandard due to poor manufacturing practices.
kualalumpurpost.net
Medicines with intentionally falsi- fied ingredients are usually made with criminal motives and often mas- querade behind the brand or trade- marks of legitimate manufacturers.
emhn.orgFake medicines - which are either criminally motivated or the result of lax manufacturing standards - are a worsening problem, particularly in Asia.
emhn.orgEmerging Markets Health Network
EMHN works with its network of scholars, think tanks and thought leaders to ensure this perspective is heard in policy debates in Asia, Latin America and Africa.
il-rs.com.br
Emerging markets have enormous health challenges, including rapidly ageing populations and an increasing burden of non-communicable diseases.
EMHN is a policy centre that is helping emerging markets address their health challenges by exploring the potential of markets and the private sector.