- When are cheap products NOT cheap? When they are from
China and they kill people. Again, a Chinese Pharmaceutical company recalls
anti-malarial drugs supplied to Kenya after discovering it was counterfeit.
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- As I stated on the program several times, I feel that
many pathogens, like Malaria, Leprosy and TB are becoming resistant to
medication due to a large influx of counterfeit medications on the market,
now worldwide.
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- In the this case, the product showed very little active
ingredients and patients taking it would not be cured. They might easily
have enough medication for the pathogen to develop resistance to the medication.
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- The problem of counterfeit drugs is quite serious and
it is imperative that a global crackdown occur.
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- Patty
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- Chinese Malaria Drugs Recalled In Kenya
- BBC News
- 8-17-7
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- A Chinese pharmaceutical firm plans to recall thousands
of anti-malarial drugs supplied to Kenya after discovering a counterfeit
syndicate.
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- The vice-president of Holley-Cotec Pharmaceuticals said
20,000 doses of Duo-cotecxin will be removed from sale. He told
the BBC an analysis of the counterfeit product showed it had very low active
ingredients and patients taking it would not be cured. An estimated
35,000 people die of malaria in Kenya each year.
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- Duo-cotecxin is one of the artemisinin-based combination
therapy drugs highly recommended by World Health Organization to treat
malaria and is widely supplied in government and private hospitals in Kenya. A
full dose of Duo-cotecxin costs about $5 in Kenya, the counterfeited drug
is being sold for less than $1.
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- New technology
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- The Ministry of Health has been spearheading a campaign
to crack down on counterfeit drugs that are readily available in the Kenyan
market.
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- Dr Willy Akwale, who heads the government anti-malaria
control unit, said this is the first case of a counterfeit supply of artemisinin
combination therapy drugs. "There have been many counterfeits
on the sulphur-based anti-malaria drugs before, forcing us to have difficulties
in countering the disease," Dr Akwale told the BBC's Focus on Africa
programme.
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- Eric Law, Holley-Cotec Pharmaceuticals' vice-president,
said they are yet to locate the source of the counterfeits, but there is
strong evidence linking the supplies to Asia. "We are now
going to introduce a new technology to tamper-proof the doses that will
be supplied to replace the withdrawn drugs," Mr Law told the BBC News
Website.
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- Health officials warn of a global health catastrophe
if a growing trade in fake anti-malarial drugs leads to widespread resistance. Sophisticated
trans-national gangs are thought to be behind the counterfeit drugs, a
fast-growing multibillion dollar business.
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- Meanwhile, the Kenyan government said on Thursday that
there has been a dramatic rise in the number of children sleeping under
insecticide treated mosquito nets. It said that a two-year campaign
to provide nets at subsidised prices has resulted in more than two-thirds
of under five-year-olds sleeping under them.
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- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6951586.stm
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- Patricia A. Doyle DVM, PhD
- Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural Economics
- Univ of West Indies
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- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message
board at:
- http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php
- Also my new website:
- http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
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