At least a third of medicines available in some parts of the
developing world could be fake Priya Shetty explores the tools
and partnerships that help the public health community counter
the threat of counterfeit medicines. Counterfeiting is as old as
industrialisation. For as long as the idea of intellectual
property or branding has existed, counterfeiters have schemed to
cheaply mimic products for profit. Far from being merely a
nuisance, counterfeit medicines can cause serious illness and
even death. The trade in counterfeit drugs has grown into a
global industry worth billions of dollars, targeting mostly
developing countries [see Table 1]. The World Health
Organization (WHO) estimates that 10–30 per cent of the
medicines on sale could be fake in the developing world; the
proportion is probably higher in some parts of Africa, Asia and
Latin America.  But public health experts believe poor
regulatory and surveillance systems in the developing world mean
the problem is even more widespread than it seems. Th