A recent newspaper headline caught my eye. It said that in some poor countries a staggering 60 percent of medicines are fake. Thankfully, the World Health Organization, now led by our own very able Mrs Margaret Chan (she was previously Hong Kong's Director of Health), is trying hard to control the scandalous trade in counterfeit medicines. By Cheng Huan 19…

WASHINGTON — Despite more prescription drugs entering the country from abroad, the Food and Drug Administration's budget for foreign inspections has not kept pace and will actually be lower in 2008 than it was in 2002, congressional investigators say. Because of the shortfall, the FDA is only able to inspect foreign manufacturers of drugs and drug ingredients every eight to…

The widespread manufacture and sale of spurious drugs in India places the people at serious risk. According to several reports, out of the total organised medicines market of Rs 30,000 crore, the spurious drugs alone account for almost 15% of the medicines sold in the country. Considering the huge market for spurious drugs, most people are, on a day to…

Thousands of fake variations of sex enhancement drug Viagra shipped from India and sold in Asian corner shops across the UK can be dangerous and even fatal, trading officials warned today. Dubbed the "pills that kill", officials said the medicines were untested and urged anyone who bought them to throw them away immediately. "These tablets are illegal and unlicensed and…

Today, there are thousands of websites offering brand-name medications like Lipitor and Viagra at a fraction of what they cost at your local drugstore. Many even sell drugs without asking for a prescription. Some offer "in-house" doctors that will both diagnose you and prescribe medications over the internet, saving you the hassle of going to your physician and then the…