Fake TB drugs linked to rising resistance

Researchers have warned resistance to antituberculosis drugs will rise unless action is taken to eliminate fakes.

Tests on antituberculosis drugs bought in private pharmacies across Africa found one-in-six fell short of basic quality standards. The situation was little better in India, where one-in-10 failed tests on active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) quantities or disintegration.

Researchers say the findings have major implications for disease control efforts. "Tuberculosis will not be brought under control until we reduce patients’ exposure to substandard medicines," lead author Roger Bate wrote in a New York Times op-ed.

The researchers tested 713 packs of antituberculosis drugs isoniazid and rifampicin bought by locals from private pharmacies in 19 cities across Africa, Eurasia and South America. Failure rates were high enough to suggest substandard drugs could be driving resistance to medication.

Bate and his collaborators published the findings in the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, and called for more research into antibiotic quality. Bate also used his op-ed to call on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to lead the fight against fake drugs.