Real Clear Science is reporting that there has been an alarming rise in fake prescription drugs in the Western world. Though the issue had previously been isolated mainly to third world countries and poor communities, the issue has beens spreading dramatically and can have devastating effects.
The problem with fake medication is that they are both difficult to trace and difficult to detect. Since the meds are made in multiple global locations, production is nearly impossible to find and shut down. Moreover, many of the pills often look, taste, and smell like the authentic drug.
The United Nations’ World Health Organization estimates that around 1-10 percent of all medicine in “low and middle-income” countries are fake. However, other studies have suggested that the estimate is grossly low. For example, a review found that in Africa, a region particularly afflicted with the issue, a staggering 70 percent of infection-based medicine was fake. Many of these fake medications can be toxic or ineffective.
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