New Study in Nigeria Finds One in 10 Malaria Drugs is of Poor Quality

A new research released recently has indicated that substandard medicines are more prevalent than fake ones in world’s most malaria-burdened country, Nigeria.

A rigorous analysis of more than 3,000 antimalarials purchased in Enugu, Nigeria found 9.3% to be of poor quality, according to new research published in PLOS ONE.

Researchers found 1.2% of the samples to be falsified and 1.3% to be degraded, but raised bigger concerns about 6.8% being of substandard manufacture, leaving patients at risk of not receiving the correct treatment dose and potentially contributing to the development of resistance to the main drug used to treat malaria.

The drug quality team of the Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) Consortium at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine analysed 3,024 antimalarials containing artemisinin (the component that makes malaria treatment effective) from Enugu Metropolis, South East Nigeria, which has a population of 3.3 million.

The team purchased medicines from 421 outlets in Enugu including pharmacies, patent medicine vendors, and public health facilities.

The ACT Consortium is funded by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The research further leaves a dent on the federal government’s efforts to not only reduced substandard medicines but also fight malaria.