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The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 1-10% of drugs sold around the world are counterfeits and in developing countries as much as 30-50%. Generally, there has been a  90% increase in counterfeit drug sales between 2005 and 2010. The Washington Post of January 24, 2013 featured an article about fake drugs flooding East African markets. Two weeks later, another Washington Post article sounded the alarm that fake drugs were causing the spread of untreatable TB in developing countries. Towards the end of May 2014, authorities in Britain and France seized fake drugs worth tens of millions of dollars. The magnitude of this problem is highlighted by the seizure in Angola of 1.4 million packets of counterfeit Coartem made by Novartis AG, the only antimalarial drug effective against drug resistant malaria in Africa. National Drug Authority (NDA) has warned about fake antimalarial drugs, contraceptives, a cough syrup, and slimming pills circulating in Uganda. Thirty percent of antimalarial drugs are fake yet malaria kills 110,000 children annually in Uganda. Counterfeit drugs cause direct harm, fail to cure diseases, and promote drug resistance. They are under-dosed, over-dosed, or contain drugs different from the label. Worse still, they contain poisons (PCBs, benzopyrenes, antifreeze, rat poison, boric acid), household items (paint, floor wax, paint thinner), heavy metals (mercury, lead, arsenic, chromium, selenium, cadmium, aluminium), or no drugs at all (dextrose, dextrin, lactose, starch). Most rural communities are not aware of anti-counterfeit measures such as MPedigree which is being piloted. The Minilab TLC does not identify all contaminants in fake medicines and is not practical in remote regions because it requires trained staff. WHO estimates that 700,000 people die annually due to fake antimalarial and TB drugs. This probably escalates into millions if you factor fake blood pressure, asthma, cough, diabetes, and other life-saving medicines. We have decided to take action as part of our outreach to communities. First, we will systematically collect drug samples from drug shops and pharmacies in small towns and villages around the country. These drugs will be tested using highly sensitive LC-MS/MS and ICP-MS to identify fake drugs and their ingredients. We will also test drugs from government stores, hospitals and clinics to confirm that the government supply chain is not compromised. Samples of fake drugs will be forwarded to NDA which has the mandate to shut down pharmacies and prosecute distributors and suppliers of fake drugs. Second, we will raise awareness among communities and their leaders about counterfeit drugs and how to protect their families from this silent epidemic.