Substandard malaria drugs rife in Africa

Shocking new statistics reveal that 35% of antimalarial drugs in Africa fail basic quality tests.

The report in PLoS One, a scientific and medical research peer-reviewed journal, is based on a recent study of drugs purchased in six major African cities.

The survey found substandard drugs to be rife – the drugs accelerate parasite resistance and thus threaten to cause a major health crisis for the 700 million people at risk from malaria.

The Global Fund itself may be exacerbating the problem by a policy under which poor countries can purchase untested drugs.

A decentralized network of drug testing facilities is urgently required and could be funded by a fraction of the current budget for fighting malaria.