[Quality of medicines in least developed countries]. / La qualité des médicaments dans les pays les plus défavorisés.

Due to worsening economic conditions and poor enforcement of existing pharmaceutical and customs regulations, third world countries are faced with a growing threat from counterfeit and substandard medicines. With the expansion of illicit markets in urban areas, the sales of medicines of uncertain quality and origin are increasing. Most victims of this illicit trade are among the world's poorest populations that cannot afford to buy quality drugs through private-sector distribution channels. National pharmaceutical programs promoting universal access to essential generic medicines at reasonable cost are the key to curbing this problem. A system based on strict, rational pharmaceutical purchasing and distribution policies with quality assurance at every level of the supply chain is needed to guarantee that patients receive safe effective high quality healthcare products.

[Access for all to quality drugs]. / Accès pour tous aux médicaments de qualité.

The implementation of essential drugs policies and widespread use of generic products in humanitarian programs has ensured access to medication for poverty-stricken populations. However rigorous drug selection according to origin is necessary to guarantee quality. A drug is more than a mixture of chemical components, it depends on a complex balance that can be affected by numerous factors. To be beneficial to the patient, a drug must be manufactured, purchased, distributed and administered in a strictly professional and responsible manner. An obvious danger for drugs such as antibiotics is that use of poor quality products producing insufficient bioavailability will promote development of microbial resistance. This could become a worldwide public health problem with particularly dramatic consequences for the treatment of tuberculosis and retroviruses.