Alexandros Panayides

UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEXITIES OF THE SUPPLY CHAINS LINKAGES: THE CASE OF ANTI-MALARIA DRUGS IN AFRICA

Over the last decade there has been a substantial increase in the supply of counterfeit anti-malaria drugs in Africa. This phenomenon has become extremely difficult to detect not only because the counterfeit drugs are usually hidden inside other products but also because it has been associated with the supply of genuine anti-malaria drugs stolen from for pharmacies and government warehouses. As a result the supply chain of anti-malaria drugs, as well as the policies to control this trafficking, has become extremely complicated with serious economic, social, political, and ethical implications. The literature on this topic, particularly the one drawn from the work of international organizations, seems unable to understand these phenomena in particular because the legal and illegal aspects of the supply chain still remain quite separated. The main scope of our investigation is to provide a more comprehensive representation of the complexity of the supply chain of counterfeit drugs, to reconstruct the main reasons behind these flows and suggest policies to address the challenges posed by this complex trade.