The Issue
Modern medical advances have turned once-fatal diseases into treatable and curable conditions. Yet, life-saving treatments offer false hope when patients receive poor-quality medicines. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated one in 10 medicines in low- and middle-income countries is poor-quality.
The Issue
Modern medical advances have turned once-fatal diseases into treatable and curable conditions. Yet, life-saving treatments offer false hope when patients receive poor-quality medicines. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated one in 10 medicines in low- and middle-income countries is poor-quality.
The Issue
Modern medical advances have turned once-fatal diseases into treatable and curable conditions. Yet, life-saving treatments offer false hope when patients receive poor-quality medicines. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated one in 10 medicines in low- and middle-income countries is poor-quality.
Global Impact
Poor-quality medicines undermine nearly all of the world’s health priorities and affect every country. Efforts to combat infectious diseases, reduce maternal and child mortality, treat chronic conditions and achieve universal health coverage all depend on quality-assured medical products.
Universal Health
Coverage 
On average, medicines account for a quarter of all national health spending globally. Yet, every year, governments waste an estimated $30.5 billion delivering medicines that don’t work—making medicines a leading source of wasted health spending.
Antimicrobial
Resistance
By providing insufficient active ingredients, poor-quality medicines allow bacteria to adapt and become immune to common treatments, accelerating the growing crisis of antimicrobial resistance.
Tuberculosis
Nearly 600,000 people develop drug-resistant TB every year. As the world’s leading infectious disease, poor-quality TB drugs are doubly dangerous because they fail to treat the disease and cultivate resistance to the medicines needed to stop the spread of this epidemic.
Patient Trust
When patients don’t get better – or worse yet, become sicker due to poor-quality medicines – they might avoid taking medication or delay seeking care altogether.
Maternal Health
Oxytocin can reduce a mother’s risk of dying from postpartum hemorrhage – the leading cause of maternal deaths. Universal access to quality-assured oxytocin could save the lives of 1.4 million mothers in the next 10 years.
Malaria
An estimated 200,000 preventable deaths occur each year due to ineffective antimalarial drugs.
Global Impact
Poor-quality medicines undermine nearly all of the world’s health priorities and affect every country. Efforts to combat infectious diseases, reduce maternal and child mortality, treat chronic conditions and achieve universal health coverage all depend on quality-assured medical products.
Universal Health
Coverage
On average, medicines account for a quarter of all national health spending globally. Yet, every year, governments waste an estimated $30.5 billion delivering medicines that don’t work—making medicines a leading source of wasted health spending.
Antimicrobial
Resistance
By providing insufficient active ingredients, poor-quality medicines allow bacteria to adapt and become immune to common treatments, accelerating the growing crisis of antimicrobial resistance.
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis can reduce a mother’s risk of dying from postpartum hemorrhage – the leading cause of maternal deaths.
Patient Trust
When patients don’t get better – or worse yet, become sicker due to poor-quality medicines – they might avoid taking medication or delay seeking care altogether.
Maternal Health
Oxytocin can reduce a mother’s risk of dying from postpartum hemorrhage – the leading cause of maternal deaths. Universal access to quality-assured oxytocin could save the lives of 1.4 million mothers in the next 10 years.
Malaria
An estimated 200,000 preventable deaths occur each year due to ineffective antimalarial drugs.
What Are Poor-Quality Medicines?
Poor-quality medicines fall into two categories.
FALSIFIED:
Medicines that deliberately or fraudulently misrepresent their identity, composition or source.
SUBSTANDARD:
Medicines that fail to meet quality specifications (e.g., those that contain too little of the active ingredients or that have degraded from improper storage and transport conditions).
What Are Poor-Quality Medicines?
Poor-quality medicines fall into two categories.
FALSIFIED:
Medicines that deliberately or fraudulently misrepresent their identity, composition or source.
SUBSTANDARD:
Medicines that fail to meet quality specifications (e.g., those that contain too little of the active ingredients or that have degraded from improper storage and transport conditions).
What Are Poor-Quality Medicines?
Poor-quality medicines fall into two categories.
FALSIFIED:
Medicines that deliberately or fraudulently misrepresent their identity, composition or source.
SUBSTANDARD:
Medicines that fail to meet quality specifications (e.g., those that contain too little of the active ingredients or that have degraded from improper storage and transport conditions).
Solutions
Across the world, individuals, families, and countries are affected by poor-quality medicines – but each of us can do our part to prevent their spread:
Countries
Establish strong regulatory systems that prevent poor-quality medicines from moving through the supply chain and remove them when they do.
Donors
Prioritize investments in regulatory systems and ensure quality assurance is incorporated into medical product manufacturing, procurement and distribution practices.
Health Workers
Remain stewards of quality who actively engage with relevant regulatory authorities when treatment failure related to poor-quality medicines is suspected.
Patients and Consumers
Know what to look for, report suspicious products and demand quality in medicines.
Solutions
Across the world, individuals, families, and countries are affected by poor-quality medicines – but each of us can do our part to prevent their spread:
Countries
Establish strong regulatory systems that prevent poor-quality medicines from moving through the supply chain and remove them when they do.
Donors
Prioritize investments in regulatory systems and ensure quality assurance is incorporated into medical product manufacturing, procurement and distribution practices.
Health Workers
Remain stewards of quality who actively engage with relevant regulatory authorities when treatment failure related to poor-quality medicines is suspected.
Patients and Consumers
Know what to look for, report suspicious products and demand quality in medicines.