Fake Medicines on the rise

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that the counterfeit drug trade is an increasing problem throughout the world, especially in developing countries, claiming thousands of lives every year. It was noted that in China, counterfeit medicines are rampant especially on the Internet. It noted that Malaysia also faced the same problem. Therefore, the Malaysian health ministry announced recently that it will introduce a new holographic label with enhanced security features on each registered medicine next month. Deputy Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad said this was among the measures taken to ensure the public do not buy fake medicines.