FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — An international study has confirmed fears that fake anti-malarial drugs have put at risk global efforts to counter the scourge, with weaker and unchecked medicines potentially fanning the disease by allowing it to build immunity to medical treatment.

Southeast Asia figured prominently in the study, which should come as no surprise, given most governments in the region have paid only lip service to warnings that the lax enforcement of laws had allowed the market for cheap homemade drugs to thrive, not unlike copies of DVDs, brand name handbags or other drugs like Viagra. Read more in The Diplomat.