Publish Date

March 2009

Economic Impact of Counterfeit Medicines in the Mekong Region

eSYS Development has commenced a study for the Asian Development Bank to examine the extent and economic impact of counterfeit medicines in the Mekong region.

Counterfeit drugs—deliberately and fraudulently mislabeled products—pose a serious public health threat, particularly in the treatment of HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria.

The study will collate data from national authorities, NGOs, pharmaceutical companies, and targeted surveys to estimate the prevalence of fake medicines.

It will also quantify the financial value of counterfeit drug sales and assess the broader economic costs to households and national economies due to treatment failure and disease burden from substandard or ineffective medicines