WHO Meeting On Counterfeit Drugs

Counterfeit medicines have been found in at least 28 countries, saypublic and confidential reports received by the World Health Organization during 1982-97, reports the WHO, but many cases were not confirmed or validated.

30 experts attending a three-day workshop in Geneva, Switzerland, have urged the WHO to monitor the situation in its 191 member states. In 25% of the 751 cases, counterfeit products were reported to have come from developed countries, while 65% were from developing countries.

Martijn Ten Ham, head of the WHO's drug safety unit, noted that while figures were hard to obtain, billions of dollars of drugs were probably involved. In most cases, the false drug contained very little or no active ingredient, meaning the disease is under-treated or not treated at all, he said.