China's anti-malaria drugs such as Artemisinin have won a good reputation in Africa for their effectiveness, so they have become targets for counterfeiting producers, the newspaper article said.
Another problem is that improper use and storage reduced drugs' effect. He Wenping, dean of the Africa Study Department of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a government think-tank, said anti-malaria drugs must be kept in proper humidity and temperature, conditions which cannot be met in some African countries.
Drug tolerance may also occur if patients do not follow treatment procedures, the newspaper said, adding that patients in Africa often struggle to access enough drugs in time due to poor supply in some clinics.
China is stepping up efforts to help Africa to cope with the prevalence of fake drugs by installing recognition and tracing technology on drugs.
Meanwhile, Chinese pharmaceutical firms have established partnerships with African government and drug distributors, which makes it easy to trace imported drugs.
Anti-counterfeit labels are sealed on each drug package, making counterfeiting difficult, according to the Kunming Pharmaceutical Company based in southwest China.
Bilateral cooperation should be strengthened to combat counterfeiting, recommended Cao Gang of the China Chamber of Commerce of Medicines & Health Products Importers & Exporters.
Cao said China's government should support pharmaceutical companies to acquire international authentication in order to enhance recognition of Chinese brands.
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