#StopFakeMeds #ThinkSmart
Several international investigations conducted in recent years have revealed a worrying reality: the global system for exporting medicines—although officially presented as strictly regulated—contains deep structural weaknesses.
The most striking case is the one uncovered by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) in 2024–2025, which showed that essential anticancer medicines—particularly asparaginase used to treat pediatric leukemia—were of insufficient quality, with inadequate active ingredient levels or stability issues.
Despite this, these products were exported to more than 100 countries, whether low-, middle-, or high-income. A parallel investigation confirmed that some of these formulations failed quality tests without national or global alerts being issued in time.
This scandal is merely one example of a broader phenomenon.
In a document published in 2025 (WHO, EB156/11), the World Health Organization acknowledges that import/export systems suffer from major vulnerabilities: lack of harmonization between laboratories, insufficient traceability, and uneven border controls.
Studies published in Frontiers in Pharmacology (2025) on substandard and fake medicines in Africa also show that essential products—antibiotics, antimalarials, anticancer medicines—sometimes arrive already of poor quality before even reaching patients.
Work by Placidi-Frot likewise highlights how these abuses exploit the grey areas of international trade law and the shortcomings of cooperation between states.
The message is clear: criminal networks do not thrive solely in parallel markets. They also exploit the porosities of the official system. This situation concerns all patients, everywhere. No country is fully protected, and fake medicines can infiltrate any supply chain.
It is therefore essential to take individual precautions:
– purchase medicines only from pharmacies;
– avoid unofficial online sources;
– check packaging integrity and report any doubts to a healthcare professional.
However, responsibility cannot rest solely on patients. Strengthening export standards, multiplying independent tests, increasing supply-chain transparency, and harmonising controls across countries are urgent measures that must be implemented.
If these weaknesses persist, the health of millions of people will remain exposed to avoidable risks.
Sources:
– Bad cancer drugs shipped to more than 100 countries around the world – The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ)
– Substandard and falsified medical products – Report by the Director-General to the Executive Board (WHO, document EB156/11)
– Substandard and fake medicines in Africa: healthcare system challenges, supply-chain issues and regulatory environment – Frontiers in Pharmacology (2025)
– International Conventions Applicable to the Trade in Illicit Medical Products – Placidi-Frot, Université Paris-Saclay (2023)
