Counterfeit artesunate risks patient’s life

The dangers of buying antimalarial drugs from unregulated sources are highlighted in a Lancet case report published 22 September 2012. A regular traveller to Equatorial Guinea was diagnosed with falciparum malaria at a health clinic and instructed to buy artesunate monotherapy and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine from local traders. Returning to Spain, the woman’s condition worsened until she was treated with officially supplied artesunate: she recovered fully within 3 days. Analyses carried out by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine showed that the tablets bought in Equatorial Guinea did not contain any artesunate. Counterfeit or falsified drugs have been reported in Africa since at least 2001. The case illustrates that people taking falsified antimalarial drugs in good faith, are putting their lives at risk. Everyone should be aware of the dangers of buying prescription drugs from unregulated shops, market stalls or off the internet. The authors remind readers that poor quality drugs may play a role in the genesis of resistance and that they should be considered as a cause of treatment failure. They conclude by calling for consensus international action to halt the fake drug trade.