Trafficked medical products kill almost half a million sub-Saharan Africans every year, and action is needed to stem the flow, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) states in its new threat assessment report.
Trafficking these products is also taking a direct economic toll on affected countries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that caring for people who have used falsified or substandard medical products for malaria treatment in sub-Saharan Africa costs between $12 million to $44.7 million every year.
International operations saw more than 605 tons of medical products seized in West Africa, between January 2017 and December 2021.
Typically, these products travel through mainstream international trade channels, mainly by sea.
