In addition to obesity, nutrition, clean water and sanitation, a new issue is emerging as a public health threat, Fake medications. Fake medicine is a concern in every region of the world, affection low, and middle and high income countries. This is absolutely an issue that needs to be addressed. As we all know medications have can react with one another and other foods and dietary supplements, and this happens when the consumer is aware that of what they are taking. These fake medications may contain wrong ingredients or doses that could results in harm to the person buying them. In Africa one third of all TB medication is thought to be fake and about 35% of all malaria medications were found to be failed chemical analysis in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. It gets worse, the World Health Organization also predicts that anywhere from 25%-60% of the entire medicine supply in developing countries could be substandard or counterfeit.  If we do not address this on an international scale we will be creating more problems, deaths and illnesses than what we are already trying to control. An organization called Fight the Fakes is making an effort to promote public awareness about this problem. They are using social media sources such as twitter and Facebook to reach as many people around the world to join them. The World Health Organization predicts that counterfeit and substandard medicines constitute over a 400 billion dollar market, which has increased by 300% since the year 2000. Selling fake medication is even now being called “the new face of organized crime”. These fake medications have been found to include poisons such as mercury, rat poison, paint and antifreeze. In addition to they also are assisting in drug resistance. If the number of fake medications continues to increase its result will be detrimental to global health.  More money and research will need to be invested into the development of even stronger resistant medications, which we are already struggling to develop. In addition 30% of countries have little or no regulation to prevent medications that are below standards from being distributed.  Obviously these countries are going to have an increased risk of ingesting fake medications.  Developing countries are already not receiving the care they need and it’s frustrating to think that the little amount of care they are getting may actually cause more harm than good. Usually when I hear about contamination it’s usually within dietary supplements, not prescription medications. I was shocked to read about how large of a problem this has grown into. The Fight the Fake’s website lists organizations from around the world that are joining the effort to minimize the problem. They also have posted stories of people who have been affected from fake medications. I think it’s very sad that this is happening. In the United States alone 70 percent of the population takes prescription medications. If people who do not have health insurance or simply cannot afford to pay for their prescription drugs  and stumble across a site selling what appears to be the same medication for less money they could be tempted to purchase medications.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/study-shows-70-percent-of-americans-take-prescription-drugs/

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs338/en/

http://fightthefakes.org/resources/?audience_id=23

http://www.prweb.com/releases/uspharmacopeia/fightthefakes2013/prweb11371516.htm