Around $15.17 million worth of counterfeit medicines have been seized since 2020, announced the country’s Minister of Public Health, Manaouda Malachie, on the occasion of the African Day for the Fight Against Fake Medicines.
This year’s edition is held under the theme: “Fake Medicines: A Danger, a Real Threat.”
During a press conference in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital, the minister revealed these results, which reflect the country’s efforts to combat pharmaceutical counterfeiting. Dozens of illegal distribution networks have been dismantled, while border surveillance and monitoring of digital platforms have been strengthened.
Manaouda urged the population to get more involved.
“Traffickers keep reinventing themselves. Vigilance must remain our best weapon,” he said, calling on every citizen to become an actor in health security.“Refuse street medicines and go only to authorized pharmacies. That is where health safety begins,” he added.
According to a 2023 report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 270,000 people die every year in sub-Saharan Africa after consuming falsified or substandard antimalarial drugs.
Cameroon has indicated that it will intensify cooperation with international agencies and border authorities to curb this trafficking, which poses a threat to both public health and the national economy.
