Highlighting poor quality medicine threat

Issue 2 of Pathogens and Global Health focuses on the lack of knowledge and political sensitivity of counterfeit and substandard medicines which pose a growing threat to the health of vulnerable people, often in the poorest countries of the world. In his editorial, Prof Andrea Crisanti joins the call for coherent, transnational legislation aimed at implementing preventive and repressive measures commensurate with the severity of the threat. An interview with Head of WWARN Antimalarial Quality (AQ) Module, Dr Paul Newton, discusses the public health impact of protracted debates over terminology and definitions and highlights the lack of information to inform appropriate actions. Invited articles highlighting the innovations and initiatives that challenge this threat to global health include a report by AQ Scientific Coordinator Patricia Tabernero on the WWARN AQSurveyor. The journal also launched a photo campaign, exposing examples of fake packaging demonstrating the difficulties in distinguishing them from the genuine products. More photographs will be published in following issues.