African leaders move to target illicit medication

After being infected with malaria and typhoid, Togolese tailor Ayawo Hievi thought he was on the mend when he started taking drugs prescribed by his doctor. However, the medication he received at a local clinic caused him to lose a kidney four years ago. ‘It turns out that the quinine and the antibiotics used to treat me in the medical office were fake drugs,’ he said. A report on the News24 site notes that the WHO estimates that about 100 000 people across Africa die from taking ‘falsified or substandard’ medication every year. Since 2013, 42% of the fake medicine seized worldwide were confiscated in Africa. In an attempt to tackle the scourge, the leaders of the Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Niger, Senegal, Togo and Uganda have met in Lome to sign an agreement to criminalise the trafficking of fake drugs.

Full Fin24 report