When sniggering at fake Viagra gets kind of serious

It's always worth a snide chuckle when you hear about fake Viagra being intercepted by Customs. Counterfeit medicines however are serious problem in third world countries where health workers may be desperate to get hold of drugs for such things as malaria. Fake stuff that doesn't work or is sub-standard and ineffective serves only to build resistance to the drug. It appears China and India are the main culprits when it comes to the manufacture and export of counterfeit drugs. The illicit trade is estimated to be a global business worth €56 billion a year. Read The Observer's recent article here on the problem of counterfeit medicine.
Check previous posts on fake drugs here.