EU Parliament told of rising counterfeit drug problem
The fight against counterfeit medicines has now become the new global war on drugs, leading experts have told MEPs.
The counterfeit medicines market has emerged as a multi-billion euro business with profit margins rivalling those of hard drug trafficking, according to the latest WHO estimates.
Around ten percent of medicines traded worldwide are substandard fakes, with the figure rising up to more than 50 per cent in some developing countries.
By Filipe Rufino
11 April 2007