Fake Drugs Worth 6.6 Million Dlrs Seized In Asia: Interpol

Police across Southeast Asia have arrested 27 people and seized 6.6 million dollars worth of counterfeit anti-HIV drugs, antibiotics, and other medicines, Interpol said Tuesday.

The global police organisation said 16 million fake pills, also including anti-malaria and anti-tuberculosis drugs, were netted in Operation Storm, a five-month sting that ended in September.

Clinton Says China, India Drug Makers Agree to Cut Malaria Drug Price
Former US president Bill Clinton announced Thursday a deal with six pharmaceutical companies from China and India to cut the price of a leading malaria treatment by 30 percent.

Nearly 200 raids were carried out in Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam with the support of Interpol and the World Health Organisation, it said in a statement.

The crackdown targeted individuals and groups involved in the manufacture and distribution of four classes of counterfeit medicines identified as posing "a significant public health risk," Paris-based Interpol said.

The operation "will provide a blueprint for future actions in targeting this type of criminal activity which affects every corner of the globe," Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said in the statement.

Lethal Drug-resistant TB Deadlier Than Previously Thought
Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) is increasingly common and deadlier than previously thought.

The results of the operation were released Monday at the start of an international law enforcement training seminar on combating counterfeit drugs in Cambodia, Interpol said.

Source-AFP
SK

Anti-herpes Drug a Double-edged Sword for HIV Patients
A new study has revealed that the anti-herpes drug acyclovir can slow down HIV infection, but with the risk that treated cells may promote the emergence of multi-drug resistant HIV variants.