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The politics of fake drugs in Africa

Researchers: Dr. Gernot Klantschnig (SPSW)
Funder: British Academy / Leverhulme Small Research Grant
Duration: January 2013 to December 2015    

Background

West Africa has recently emerged as a focus of the global war on ‘fake drugs’ – falsified or sub-standard prescription drugs that can be lethal to consumers. International and local control agencies warn of a growing role for the region as a transit point, while also lamenting the prevalence of use, especially among the poor. In March 2012, it was claimed that more than 80 per cent of antimalarial drugs sold in Lagos were fake. Notwithstanding this growing alarm, there is little serious scholarship addressing the issue of fake drugs in West Africa. 

Aims

This project is the first in-depth study to address the burgeoning interest in falsified and sub-standard pharmaceuticals in West Africa, examining the political dynamics underlying the recent claims about the threat of these drugs in Nigeria.

The project’s objectives are to reconstruct why these substances have become a social, health and political problem in the last 15 years (although they have been available for much longer) and why West Africa has been a key focus for international and national policy responses.

It explores the use, trade and control of these substances, focusing particularly on antimalarials in the region’s commercial capital of Lagos. Based on archival sources and interviews with key policy makers in West Africa, as well as actors along the supply chain, it reconstructs the history of the trade and related claims about its dangers. Its aim is to highlight the political interests and ideas hidden behind the recent policy concern with ‘fake drugs’ in West Africa.

Policy and practice implications

The project tries to provide policy-makers and experts with a critical and empirically based understanding of the evolution of concerns and policies on poor quality drugs in Nigeria, which can serve as a basis for future improved policies in West Africa.

Publications

G. Klantschnig (2015) The politics of drug control in Nigeria: exclusion, repression and obstacles to policy change. International Journal of Drug Policy.  Author accepted manuscript (PDF , 323kb)

See more of Gernot Klantschnig's research

Please contact Dr Gernot Klantschnig for more information.

Associated Research   

United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime

Campaign against fake medicines 

Alcohol and tobacco industry

Transnational companies influence on trade policy 

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