According to a study published in the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, many of the anti-tuberculosis medications being sold in developing countries such as Thailand are either fake or of a substandard quality.
Scientists from the United States conducted the test, in which they asked locals in Bangkok and 18 other cities to purchase sample doses of common TB medications. After testing, the scientists found that these medications often did not dissolve in water (as is necessary to enter the bloodstream) and that as many as half of them had no active ingredients.
A revelation about the drugs’ origins was also included among the report’s findings. Apparently, many legitimate pharmaceutical companies have joined fraudsters in offering the fake medications.
The Bangkok Post reports that in addition to failing at their ostensible purpose, these drugs could actually be making people more resistant to TB. As the disease comes in contact with sub-standard drugs, it builds up immunities that help it combat medications that would otherwise be effective.
