South Africa: Authorities Rush to Control Illegal Medicines Boom
Illegal medicines might be stealing their way onto the South African market while health and Medicines Control Council (MCC) officials try to fast-track monitoring the safety and efficacy of these drugs.
The MCC estimated about 30,000 medicines were registered with it, of which only a few were natural or homeopathic remedies, also known as complementary medicines. Unregistered products claiming to cure HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and various forms of cancer were readily obtained from street vendors, traditional healers and many other outlets.
26 September 2006