Students in Uganda Learn to Detect Counterfeit Drugs

The NDA (National Drug Association) in Uganda recently enlisted students to help with the organization’s crackdown on counterfeit drugs. The NDA’s educational campaign, which will eventually reach 30,000 people, is intended to teach students how to safely take needed medicines and how to educate their own families. Through the campaign, students are urged to advise their parents to avoid buying drugs on the streets or in unlicensed pharmacies and to always read labels to avoid drug misuse or overdose. The students are also learning the signs of counterfeit drugs so that they can detect and avoid them.

Counterfeit drugs are a huge problem in Uganda, and the NDA has been trying to make progress with the issue, battling a market that is 20-30% composed of counterfeit drugs. There are many counterfeit drugs available, and the most widely circulated among them are malaria medicines. Roughly 20,000 people worldwide die every year due to these fake medicines, which are often packaged more convincingly than real medicines. There are even fake “HIV cures” available, which sell for around USD $200 a bottle.

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Written by Susie Hufford