Freetown — Registrar of the pharmacy board of Sierra Leone has labeled counterfeit drugs as one of the most dangerous terrorists in society responsible for the many deaths of people.

Wiltshire C.N. Johnson told journalists at a symposium held at the conference room of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists in Freetown that drugs counterfeiting was not a new phenomenon, noting that "it is a murder perpetuated by faceless money makers."

He said not even malaria, HIV and armed robbery could be compared to counterfeit drugs as the former may not affect the whole society and could be cured. "Illicit drugs like marijuana and cocaine can be taken by choice for one reason or the other and they are not as dangerous as counterfeit drugs, which may be consumed by a whole society," he said.

He noted that fake drugs can lead to treatment failure, organ dysfunction and damage, worsening chronic diseases condition, and can embarrass health workers and cause early death. The pharmacy board registrar maintained that patients no longer respond to treatment as a result of the frequent intake of counterfeit drugs, which according to him, reduce their immune system.

He claimed that drugs counterfeiting was a corporate global network and that people sell them because they want to make money. "The fight against drugs counterfeiting should not be left in the hands of the pharmacy board alone but needs the cooperation of everyone," he noted.