In pharmacies, a packet of Coartem® – a full treatment for malaria – costs 7 to 8 dollars while on illicit markets it costs only 3 dollars. To this we have to add a medical consultation which costs 4 dollars on average. In markets and on roadsides across the cities like Yaoundé, fake and illegal drugs offer the best price but not a safe medication yet.
In Cameroon as in many other countries in Africa the fake medicines are much more easy to buy because less expensive. This is the main reason to purchase counterfeit medicines in this area of the world.
“The trade of illicit drugs in Cameroon operates like a very powerful mafia-like network which is very difficult to dismantle. It is estimated that investment in illicit sales of medicines is five times more lucrative than through the regular system. Local officials dread dismantling the network because it has also infiltrated the judicial and customs system,” said Christophe Ampoam of the National Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of Cameroon, in IPS news.
Self-medication with illegal and counterfeit drugs is a real big public health problem in Cameroon that affects almost every family. This stems from the easy access to drugs of doubtful origin and quality all over the national territory.