Falsified and substandard medicines provide little protection from disease and, worse, can expose consumers to major harm. Bad drugs pose potential threats around the world, but the nature of the risk varies by country, with higher risk in countries with minimal or non-existent regulatory oversight. While developed countries are not immune, the vast majority of problems occur in developing countries where underpowered and unsafe medicines affect millions. In West Africa, the value of falsified medicines rivals the billion dollar oil and cocaine trafficking industries, according to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, which estimates that trafficking of fake malaria drugs alone exceeds $400 million.

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