The global rise of antibiotic resistance is leading to untreatable infections which can affect anyone, anywhere, of any age. This week is World Antibiotic Awareness Week and at Fight the Fakes we’re raising awareness about the role of fake medicines.
Fake medicines can increase the risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and lead to drug resistance in life-saving medicines, for example, drug resistant tuberculosis (TB) or malaria. If a medicine contains only a part of the correct dose, or if it is so badly made that the active ingredients are not released properly, then it may only
destroy some of the pathogens,leaving some behind. The ones that survive will have mutated enough to survive low doses of the medicine. They can then multiply and spread to other people. According to recent data by the WHO, antibiotics and antimalarials are the most frequently reported fake medicines. By fighting fake medicines, you are also fighting the global threat of AMR.
