In a one-of-a-kind collaboration, scientists use forensic tools to trace the origin of fake anti-malaria drugs in southern China – and lead police to the counterfeiter.

The investigation, named "Operation Jupiter," teamed up Interpol with the World Health Organization and scientists from the Wellcome Trust-University of Oxford SE Asian Tropical Medicine Research Program, in close cooperation with Chinese authorities.

The science of nailing down a counterfeiter. Acting as forensic detectives, the scientists analyzed the pollen grains and minerals of the fake anti-malaria drug artesunate.  To track down the likely location of the fake tablet manufacture, the scientists/researchers used a technique called forensic palynology to study pollen contamination within the fake tablets. From this, they deduced that at least some of the counterfeit artesunate came from southern China, a conclusion supported by the examination of the mineral calcite found in some of the samples.

Armed with these results, Chinese authorities were able to locate and arrest the dealer in the southern Chinese province of Yunnan. He had allegedly traded 240,000 blister packs of the fake artesunate – a "medicine" with practically no effect on the potentially fatal disease. But while police were able to seize 24,000 of the blister packs, it seems this is not just a Chinese problem. Police believe that almost half of the malaria tablets sampled in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and the Thai-Myanmar border were counterfeit versions, complete with authentic-looking packaging that included fake holograms.

Just how dangerous can the fake artesunate be? According to a story in RedOrbit News, artesunate is an important part of the Artemisinin-based combination therapy recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the treatment if malaria. But instead of the real artesunate, most of the counterfeit drugs contained potentially toxic ingredients, including prohibited pharmaceuticals like metamizole and raw materials such as safrole (used in the manufacture of the drug, ecstacy).

Although some of the fake drugs may have contained small doses of artesunate, the doses were too low to be effective but high enough to help malaria parasites develop resistance. As Dr. Paul Newton of the Wellcome Trust-University of Oxford SE Asian Tropical Medicine Research Program, who led the research, is quoted as saying, "If malaria becomes resistant to artesunate, the effect of public health in the tropics will be catastrophic."

Lessons learned. The WHO estimates that fake drugs account for more than 10 per cent of the global medicines market but pharmaceutical companies are often reluctant to admit they have fallen victim to the counterfeiters for fear of damaging sales of the genuine product. A press release from Wellcome Trust highlighted the need for more to be done internationally to support countries with a high prevalence of counterfeit anti-malarials in their attempts to combat this severe but under-recognized public health problem.

Dr. Newton stressed the need for greater financial support and resources. "Forensic tools may make it easier to identify the fake drugs and allow over-stretched police forces to focus on objective leads, greatly increasing the risks to counterfeiters of being caught. However, there are very few laboratories with the resources to perform detailed forensic chemistry or pollen analysis of fakes, particularly in the countries where they are most needed," he said.

Law enforcement agencies have long used scientific tools to help them in criminal investigations. So why not use this same collaboration in defeating one of the worst scourges of our time? The success of the Jupiter investigation proves it can happen.