Liang BA.* Structurally Sophisticated or Lamentably Limited? Mechanisms to Ensure Safety of the Medicine Supply. Albany Law J Sci Technol. 2006;16(3):483-524
Abstract. The use of medicines is ubiquitous. The benefits of pharmaceuticals are sought by virtually all citizens around the world to assist in sustaining life, treating illness, and preventing disease. As such, they represent a significant tool in promoting the quality of human existence.
Because of this extensive demand for drugs for these purposes, there is money to be made in developing, producing, and selling medications. The costs for producing effective medicines are high, and concomitantly, producers expect high remuneration for their investments. And the world is often ready to pay these costs; it is estimated that U.S. drug sales will hit $279 billion, and global drug sales will be $650 billion in 2006.
Yet because of the tremendous resources allocated by governments and citizens to medicines, and due to the inelastic demand for them, sordid elements are attracted to this industry. They sell tainted, fake, and ineffective drugs to the unsuspecting patients, and they make a lot of money at it.