[Access for all to quality drugs]

Abstract

The implementation of essential drugs policies and widespread use of generic products in humanitarian programs has ensured access to medication for poverty-stricken populations. However rigorous drug selection according to origin is necessary to guarantee quality. A drug is more than a mixture of chemical components, it depends on a complex balance that can be affected by numerous factors. To be beneficial to the patient, a drug must be manufactured, purchased, distributed and administered in a strictly professional and responsible manner. An obvious danger for drugs such as antibiotics is that use of poor quality products producing insufficient bioavailability will promote development of microbial resistance. This could become a worldwide public health problem with particularly dramatic consequences for the treatment of tuberculosis and retroviruses.