Substandard Drug Manufacture

Substandard drugs are not as much of a problem in this country as in some others. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration is a government oversight program that works to ensure that products are safe, produced in sanitary conditions, and have consistency. With drugs, it is important that the active ingredient be in the amounts and potency the label advertises. some substandard drugs from Chinese manufacturers will contain none of the active ingredient listed. Another concern with substandard drugs is that they may contain less of the active ingredient than listed. The smaller dosages of the active ingredient can actually make some health issues worse. This would be the case, for example, with antibiotics not containing the proper amount of active ingredient. Bacteria that survive the inadequate dosage can become resistant to drugs easier at lesser potencies. Another issue of substandard drugs is contamination or spoilage of the product before it reaches those it was meant for.

The largest affected population receiving substandard drugs are in poor countries involved in programs that import mass dosages of thing like AIDS medications, and malaria treatments.   

To read the full article, click the link: http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/12/06/lethal-su...