This feature, which focuses on the illegal trade of shoddy and counterfeit drugs, is part of UN news series Explore the fight against human trafficking in the Sahel.
From ineffective hand sanitizers to counterfeit antimalarials, an illegal trade has evolved during the COVID-19 The 2020 pandemic is being meticulously unraveled by the United Nations and partner countries in the Sahel region of Africa.
Counterfeit or substandard medicines, such as smuggled children’s cough syrup, are killing nearly half a million people in sub-Saharan Africa each year, according to a threat assessment. report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The report explains how countries in the Sahel, a 6,000-kilometer stretch of land stretching from the Red Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, home to 300 million people, are joining forces to stop counterfeit drugs at their borders and force offenders must be held accountable.
This war is going on as the Sahelians face unprecedented conflict: more 2.9 million people have been displaced by strife and violence, with armed groups launching attacks shut down 11,000 schools and 7,000 medical centers.
Deadly supply meets desperate demand
Health care is scarce in the region, which has one of the highest rates of malaria in the world and where infectious diseases are among the leading causes of death.
“The disparity between the supply and demand for medical care is at least in part due to drugs supplied from the illicit market to treat self-diagnosed diseases or symptoms,” the report said. The report said, explaining that street markets and unauthorized sellers, especially in rural or conflict-affected areas, are sometimes the sole source of medicine and pharmaceuticals.
Estimated malaria incidence per 1,000 at-risk population, by country, 2020
Fake treatment with fatal outcome
Research shows that the costs of the illicit drug trade are very high, in terms of health care and human lives.
Counterfeit or substandard antimalarials kill around 267,000 sub-Saharan Africans each year. Nearly 170,000 children in sub-Saharan Africa die each year from the illegal use of antibiotics to treat severe pneumonia.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), caring for people who have used counterfeit or substandard medical products to treat malaria in sub-Saharan Africa costs $44.7 million. each year.WHO) estimate.
Counterfeit medicine at a market in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
smuggle
Corruption is one of the main reasons why trade is allowed to flourish.
The report found that around 40% of shoddy and counterfeit medical products reported in the Sahelian countries between 2013 and 2021 are in managed supply chains. Products diverted from legitimate supply chains often come from exporting countries such as Belgium, China, France and India. Some end up on drug shelves.
The report found that the perpetrators were employees of pharmaceutical companies, government officials, law enforcement officers, health agency employees and street vendors, all motivated by financial gain. main potential.
According to UNODC, traffickers are finding ever more sophisticated avenues, from working with pharmacists to committing their crimes online. research summary on this issue.
Although terrorist groups and armed non-governmental groups are often involved in the sale of medical products in the Sahel, the activity largely revolves around the consumption of drugs or the “taxing” of such shipments. goods in the area they control.
Cut supply, meet demand
Efforts are underway to adopt a regional approach to the issue, involving every country in the region. For example, all of the Sahel countries except Mauritania have ratified the treaty establishing the African drug regulator and the African Pharmaceutical Regulatory Harmonization initiative launched by the African Union in 2009 aims to improve access to safe, affordable medicines.
The results of the UNODC investigation showed that all Sahel countries have legal regulations related to the sale of medical products, but some laws are outdated. The agency has recommended, among other things, amending the law along with increasing coordination among stakeholders.
Law enforcement and customs officers prevent large quantities of contraband from entering the markets of destination countries.
Countries take action
UNODC said law enforcement and judicial efforts to protect legitimate supply chains should be a priority, noting that authorities in the region had seized about 605 tonnes of counterfeit drugs from 2017 to 2021.
For example, the Pangea Campaign, coordinated by UN partner INTERPOL in 90 countries, targets the online sales of pharmaceutical products. The results showed that seizures of illegal antiretroviral drugs increased by 18% and illegal chloroquine, for the treatment of malaria, increased by 100%.
UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly said: “Transnational organized crime groups take advantage of loopholes in national regulation and surveillance to sell counterfeit and substandard medical products. “We need to help countries strengthen cooperation to bridge gaps, build criminal justice and law enforcement capacity, and raise public awareness to keep everyone safe.”
Following the deaths of 70 children in the Gambia in 2022, the World Health Organization has identified four tainted pediatric drugs in the West African country.
Crime in the Box: The CCP fights transnational organized crime by improving commercial security in containers
